


Dreamwatch

by 3_RACHA



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Video Game World, Angst, Blood, Death, Fluff, M/M, Murder, Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Other idols are mentioned - Freeform, Violence, main ship is changlix
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-08-25
Packaged: 2019-03-31 02:01:02
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 26,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13964943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/3_RACHA/pseuds/3_RACHA
Summary: ❝ DREAMWATCH  is a fun, interactive PVP game for all. Players are chosen randomly each round to join a team and to annilihate other players to earn points. Points can be used to upgrade/buy new weapons, restore health, and much more. The objective of the game is to uNKNOWn eRRoR ❞What happens when Lee Felix, a typical high school student, gets sucked into a video game?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this is a changlix story, but WILL include side ships:  
> seungmin/hyunjin  
> woojin/chan  
> jisung/minho

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: this book will contain death & violence and stuff like that so please don't read if you don't feel comfortable!

Lee Felix is nothing far from a normal, typical high school student. He is currently attending his last year of high school and graduating at the age of seventeen. He earns respectable grades, despite being one of the nerdy kids who has an addiction to video games like any other teenage boy.

The young student sits on his desk chair, a sigh exhaling through his lips as he turns on his computer. The big screen flashes into a blue light, and then requesting for a password to unlock the desktop. He quickly types in the letters, and his eyes jitter to the corner of the screen. Notifications could be seen from the Skype app. He drags the mousepad to the blue icon, and clicks on it as it opens to a chat with unread messages.

 **[bambam]** _felix felix are u online!!_

 **[bambam]** _reply omg_

 **[felix]** _what is it_

 **[bambam]** _what took u so long smh_

 **[bambam]** _well i found a new game for us to play!_

 **[bambam]** _hey wait i'm gonna gonna voice call u_

 **BAMBAM** is calling...

**ACCEPT** **| DECLINE**

"Hello?" Bambam's voice rings through the student's ears. He quickly shoves his plugged headphones into his ears.

"Hey," Felix answers. "What game are you talking about?"

"I'm sending you the link for download," Bambam replies. "It's supposed to be this super fun game. Everyone's playing it these days."

 **[bambam]** _http://download-dreamwatch_

The boy hastily clicks on the link. It guides him to a homepage.

**WELCOME TO DREAMWATCH**

**TO DOWNLOAD, CLICK HERE.**

. . .

_**D O W N L O A D I N G** _

. . . 

**DOWNLOAD COMPLETE.**

"It downloaded," Felix speaks into his mic. "I'm going to open the file now."

"Okay. I'm opening it too." Bambam says as Felix can hear clicking through his headphones. He drags the mouse to the newly downloaded file and double clicks. The new app opens up, and fills in his screen.

**WELCOME TO DREAMWATCH**

**SIGN UP  
INFORMATION**

**© 2016**

**. . .**

_**L O A D I N G** _

**. . .**

"Wow, the game hasn't been updated since twenty-sixteen?" Felix points out, waiting for the screen to load. "That's a whole two years."

"Yeah, I just noticed that too," Bambam replies. "It just blew up recently, though. Maybe the company will update it now since so many people are playing it more than before."

"Maybe," Felix says as the screen loads, and displays the information. He yawns, feeling tired as it is late at night.

**INFORMATION**

**DREAMWATCH** _is a fun, interactive PVP game for all. Players are chosen randomly each round to join a team and to annilihate other players to earn points. Points can be used to upgrade/buy new weapons, restore health, and much more. The objective of the game is to_ **uNKNOWn eRRoR**

"Strange. The information page isn't telling me the objective of the game," Felix says, furrowing his eyebrows at the screen. "It says 'unknown error.'"

"Really? I didn't really read it, but from what I heard, you just have to kill all the other teams to win," Bambam says. "I'm signing up right now."

"Okay, I'll sign up too, then," Felix says in the midst of yawning. "Gosh, I am so tired. School is so time consuming, and it makes me so tired."

"Yeah, trust me, college is worse. You live on coffee," Bambam laughs—the two weren't the same age, but close family friends. "At least it's the weekend now, yeah? We can play games now."

"Yup," Felix nods, as he clicks on the home page of the app, clicks on the sign up option, and fills in his information. "The game does sound fun, though."

**DREAMWATCH**

**USERNAME: felix18**  
**NAME: felix**  
**PASSWORD: **********  
**EMAIL: felixlee@gmail.com**

**SIGN UP**

**. . .**

_**L O A D I N G** _

**. . .**

**SIGN UP COMPLETE!**

**CLICK TO PLAY.**

**. . .**

_**L O A D I N G** _

**. . .**

"Alright. My screen is loading to play," Felix yawns again, covering his mouth as he does so. "Wow, it's taking awhile to load."

"So is mine," Bambam says. "Probably because so many people are playing it. They should really update it for better connection."

"Mhm," Felix nods in agreement as he places his elbow on his desk, and rests his face in his palm. His eyes are batting slowly, and staying closed for a few minutes before realizing he was falling asleep. "Oh, jeez, I'm falling asleep."

"If you're tired you can just go to sleep. We can play tomorrow." Bambam says, as he also gets tired of waiting for his game to load.

After a few more minutes of silence between the boys, Felix had fallen asleep. Soft, quiet snores escape through his mouth, yet audible for Bambam to hear. 

"Fell asleep, didn't you?" Bambam whispers, not wanting to suddenly wake him up through the headphones. Without any more words exchanged, he ends the call with no question. 

Felix sleeps on his palm, with the computer screen in front of him taking it's time to load. After a few more moments, Felix reaches the deep stage of his slumber, and completely oblivious to the fact that his computer screen had loaded.

**WELCOME TO DREAMWATCH**

**WHERE DREAMS BECOME NIGHTMARES.**


	2. Chapter 2

"New player! New player!"

Felix opens his eyes, and hears obnoxious shouting from a young male. He blinks a few times and furrows his eyebrows. His surroundings were nothing similar to his bedroom.

_Where am I?_

He blinks a few more times and sits up. Pain shot through the top of his head as he did so.

"Ow!" Felix yelps, reaching to pat his head in reflex. He looks at what hit him, and realizes he's on the bottom of a bunk bed. Knitting his eyebrows together once more, he looks to the side to see a teenage boy up in his face, smiling at him. Felix screams in fear. "W-Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm Jeongin!" the boy grins. "What's your name?"

"What the hell?" Felix ignores the boy's question, and scans the bedroom he's in. The bedroom is  _nothing_ similar to his own. "Where am I? Did I get kidnapped?"

"You're in Dreamwatch," Jeongin answers, sitting next to him on the bunk bed. "Sound familiar?"

"Dreamwatch?" Felix questions, going deep in thought as his brain digs back to the memories of last night. "Oh. You mean that game? What do you mean I'm in Dreamwatch?"

"Well, uh," Jeongin gulps, his cheery smile washing away. "You kind of got sucked into—

"Jeongin? Who're you talking to?" a voice rings from the other side of the bedroom door. The wooden door swings forward, revealing a tall male with black hair. His eyes widen, and seem very alert when he sees Felix. Felix feels a bit scared as he watches the man reach into the waistband of his jeans, and hears a chuck. It sounds like a gun.

_What the hell is happening? Is he a kidnapper? Does he have a gun?_

"No, Chan!" Jeongin yells, and gets up immediately. He runs to the elder looking man, and waves his hands in front of him. "He's a new player. I think... he's the last member."

The boy, supposedly Chan, dispatches his hand from the waistband of his jeans. He stares deeply at Felix, as the younger feels mildly uncomfortable and clueless. His thoughts run wild, and panicking as he has no absolute idea of where he is, nor does he know any of these boys.

"W-Where am I?" Felix stutters, as he feels quite scared now. He didn't know what to think, despite where he was.

"Hey kid," Chan says in a quieter voice, and his gaze softens. He approaches Felix slowly, and bends into his knees in front of the bed to reach his eye level. "I'm Chan. What's your name?"

"F-Felix," he answers, his voice being all shaky. He felt more than confused. "Did we get kidnapped? Where am I?"

Chan sighs as he averts his gaze to the floor. It seems that he wasn't aware how to respond.

"Jeongin, check your player's menu. Is his name on the team?" Chan orders, and these words don't make any sense to Felix. Nonetheless, he watches Jeongin tap on his watch, and a big hologram appears in front of him. Felix jumps back from the sudden action, and is unable to read what is on the hologram.

"Yes," Jeongin answers, and taps his watch again to close the screen. "It says Felix."

"Okay Felix," Chan takes a deep breath. "I don't really know how to break it to you. I reckon you remember downloading a game last night? Dreamwatch, perhaps?" Chan questions, as the boy in front of him nods with big eyes. "Well, um... you're kind of in the game now."

Felix doesn't comprehend the words said to him. He widens his eyes, but shakes it off in a fit of laughter. "Sucked into a game? This is what I got myself into? Wow, my brain must be super creative for this dream."

"I thought the same thing too," Jeongin speaks in a more serious tone, approaching Felix. "But last time I checked, I don't think dreams last for a year."

"Getting sucked into a video game? That stuff only happens in movies," Felix laughs. "I may as well take advantage of this, for a lucid dream."

Chan sighs as Jeongin scoots closer to Felix. He pinches his arm harshly.

"Ow!" Felix yelps. "What was that for?"

"If you were actually dreaming, you would wake up, no?" Jeongin questions, raising an eyebrow. Felix knows that he definitely would wake up at a hard pinch like that.

"Still... sucked into a video game? Absolute bull," Felix speaks. "You don't have any proof of us being in a video game."

"Well... you can look at your right wrist." Chan says.

Felix does what he says. He rolls up his sleeve and peers down at his wrist. He's shocked at the sight of black tattoo ink painting his skin.

 **DREAMWATCH**  
**2042925**  
**500**

"What the heck?!" Felix holds himself back from cussing. "What is this? Why do I have a tattoo?! I'm underage!"

"That's your proof. The game's name, your player ID, and the amount of points you have," Chan explains. "Every player starts out with five-hundred points. You—"

"I'm sorry, but I don't really believe your crap. Sucked into a video game? Yeah right, like I'd believe that," Felix cuts the elder off. "What's the actual truth? You can cut your pranks now—where am I?"

"You don't believe me even after showing you your tattoo?" Chan raises an eyebrow. "Okay. Felix, I suppose you play video games a lot?"

Felix nods his head.

"Then I also suppose you know the rules of a team. When you're on a team with someone, the game makes it impossible for you to kill or hurt your team members. Am I right?" Chan asks.

He nods again, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"There's a gun in the waistband of your jeans," Chan says as he gets closer to Felix, lifts his grey tee up by an inch, and reveals the metallic object attached to his jeans. He pulls it, and the object is attached to a chain, as to the chain is locked onto Felix's jeans. He shoves it into the younger's hand. "I'm your teammate. Shoot me with it."

"What the hell?!" Felix yells in fear and shock, and throws the gun in reflex. The gun does not go far, due to the chain shackling on it, and locked onto Felix. "A gun?! I don't—what—I—"

"Felix, you have a gun. A weapon. And you still don't believe me?" Chan asks.

Felix remains silent. Surely he is shocked by the news, but he doesn't know _how_ or  _why_  he's in a video game. However, most importantly, he is scared. Filled with fear.

After a long silence between the three boys, Felix parts his lips slightly to talk.

"How does the game work?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel like this chapter was really confusing but it'll make more sense in the next chapter. also i'll probably update once a week, twice if i'm in a good mood lol. thanks to all reading + leaving kudos, i appreciate it!


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> excuse any grammar errors!!

"How does the game work?"

Felix's voice bounces off the walls, as the three boys stay in silence. Chan inhales sharply as he glances to the side, and pushes a chair from a nearby desk. He rolls the brown, leather chair in front of Felix, as to where Chan seats himself, and Jeongin sits next to Felix on the bottom of the bunk bed.

"It's confusing, really. Frankly speaking, we don't know why we're here, or how to even get out," Chan begins. "Just listen to everything I have to say—I'll explain as best possible."

Felix nods his head calmly, agreeing to the words leaving the elder's mouth. Chan runs his tongue over his slightly chapped lips, averting his eyes to the boy in front of him. It seems as if he is searching for the correct words to say.

"Okay, well," Chan inhales. "When you join the game, you're put on a team. Each team has a leader, and consists of a random number of members. It's all chosen at random, and you spawn in that team's household."

"In this case, you've joined us—Stray Kids. Chan is our leader," Jeongin joins in on the explanation. "We have nine members. For more information about us, you just look at your player's menu."

"You have a watch on your wrist," Chan points out, as Felix peers down at his arm. He notices a watch and the familiar game tattoo. "If you tap on it, you'll find your player's menu."

Felix curiously taps on the screen of his watch, and jumps back as a hologram appears in front of him. The hologram is familiar to the one Jeongin opened up before. Felix peers at the hologram, and sees many options on display for him. 

**PLAYER MENU — FELIX18**

**TEAM INFORMATION**  
**WORLD CHAT**  
**WEAPONS**  
**! NEWS !**  
**MAP**  
~~**LOG** **OUT** ~~

"If you click on the team info," Chan begins, as he taps on the 'team information' tab. "You can see all of your team members. This option enables you to see their location, or open private chats with them. You just tap on their name to be given the options."

**TEAM INFORMATION**  
**STRAY KIDS:**

**LEADER : CHAN**  
**\- STATUS: ALIVE :: 96%**

  
**DOCTOR : WOOJIN**  
**\- STATUS: ALIVE :: 82%**

  
**ARCHITECT : MINHO**  
**\- STATUS: MILDLY INJURED :: 67%**

  
**CALCULATOR : CHANGBIN**  
**\- STATUS: ALIVE :: 92%**

  
**BLACKSMITH : HYUNJIN**  
**\- STATUS: ALIVE :: 84%**

  
**TECHNICIAN : JISUNG**  
**\- STATUS: MILDLY INJURED :: 71%**

  
**BRAIN : FELIX**  
**\- STATUS: ALIVE :: 100%**

  
**DEMOLITIONIST : SEUNGMIN**  
**\- STATUS: INJURED :: 37%**

  
**HERBALIST : JEONGIN**  
**\- STATUS: ALIVE :: 93%**

"As you can see, it also gives you the health bar of all the members," Chan continues to explain. "Tapping on someone's name will give you a brief description of their health condition, and location. For example, here." The elder then taps on one of the member's name—specifically Seungmin.

**SEUNGMIN**   
**ROLE : DEMOLITIONIST**  
**— SEUNGMIN is educated in bombs. SEUNGMIN can decode bombs and make grenades/bombs.**

 **STATUS : INJURED**  
**HEALTH : 37%**  
**— SEUNGMIN was crafting a grenade, but messed up slightly, causing a blow. SEUNGMIN was hurt in the stomach, resulting in excessive bleeding and minor organ damage. Currently recovering in the STRAY KIDS household.**

**PRIVATE CHAT  
LOCATION**

 

"Get the idea?" Chan questions. 

"Yeah," Felix nods, obviously a bit dazed from the excessive information being thrown at him. "But, uh, is he okay? Sounds painful."

"Yeah. Hyunjin has been watching over him, so he's recovering well." Chan answers. "Before you get confused even more, let me explain the job roles."

Felix nods, as he feels a bit confused looking at the words next to the names.

"Each member of every team is randomly assigned a job, which proves to be very essential for the game. We assume that once you get sucked into the game, you automatically have all the knowledge for that specific role," Chan explains. "For example, I got the role of a leader. My job is to lead everyone in the group and make sure everyone is doing everything they should be."

"And I'm a herbalist," Jeongin speaks. "I'm educated in all types of plants and able to make medicine with them. For example, I make medicine to speed the recovery of Seungmin's wounds."

"Why was Seungmin making a grenade in the first place?" Felix asks. 

"He's a demolitionist. Demolitionists are experienced in bombs and all that jazz," Chan answers. "The objective of the game is to kill off other players. From killing or injuring other players will result in you gaining some points. Points are the money in the game, you can use them to upgrade weapons and buy food." 

"There's a main town you can go to. That town is basically like the real world, it contains stores where you can buy all the stuff you need," Jeongin joins the explanation. "Also, you have to take note that anyone in the game can hurt you anywhere, so you have to be cautious. However, there are certain areas of the game where you're unable to hurt someone. For example, the town. The town is a zone where you can't injure anyone at all—even if you shoot them, the bullet passes through like a ghost."

"You can't hurt your team members either," Chan continues. "But you can hurt yourself—like Seungmin."

"Yeah. He always gives us grenades when we leave the cabin, in case for emergency, like if someone were to attack us. We also sometimes use his bombs if we raid another team," Jeongin says. "He's really good at what he does, but accidents happen, so you have to really be careful."

"The objective of the game... is to actually kill other real players?" Felix asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. That's how you gain points." Chan nods. 

"I see. And about the job roles... do I have one?" Felix questions. Chan taps on Felix's watch, closing the hologram before him.  

"Yeah, everyone does. Let's see," Chan says as he taps on his watch, opening his own hologram. He does a few more taps until he sees a description. "Come look. It says you're the Brain."

**FELIX**  
**ROLE: BRAIN**  
**— FELIX is a quick thinker and intelligent. FELIX can come up with attack and/or defense strategies. FELIX can work well with CALCULATOR.**

 **STATUS : ALIVE**  
**HEALTH : 100%**  
**— FELIX is in slight mental shock. FELIX is physically healthy, no health issues to be located.**

**PRIVATE CHAT**  
**LOCATION**

"What does that mean?" Felix asks after reading the description.

"I think I get it," Chan says after analyzing the words a few times. "You're some sort of strategizer. Basically, when we're in some emergency, you're the thinker. Like, if we were under attack by some other group, you'd know what to do."

"Or you can plan our attack raids," Jeongin adds. "You strategize all the plans."

"I don't get it? It says I'm intelligent, but I don't know anything about strategizing attacks." Felix inquires. 

"The real me doesn't know anything about herbs or medicine either," Jeongin chimes. "Like Chan said before... I think the information of your job is automatically apart of your brain once you join the game."

"Don't worry about it," Chan reassures, gently placing a hand on the younger's shoulder. "It'll all come to you, eventually."

"Chan," Jeongin frowns as he reads the description of Felix again. "It says he works well with Calculator. Isn't that Changbin?"

"I assume so," Chan answers after a few moments of silence, going deep into thought.

"Calculator? Changbin?" Felix repeats in confusion. 

"Changbin is another member of Stray Kids. His role is Calculator," Chan begins to explain. "He's able to calculate how close or far an enemy is. He's good with numbers, too." Chan taps on his hologram a few more times, and opens up Changbin's profile.

**CHANGBIN**  
**ROLE: CALCULATOR**  
**— CHANGBIN is experienced at working with numbers. CHANGBIN is very intelligent, and is able to calculate how close/far another player is located. CHANGBIN works well with BRAIN.**

 **STATUS : ALIVE**  
**HEALTH : 92%**  
**— CHANGBIN is still recovering from a gunshot wound in the leg [from a month ago.] CHANGBIN is in good physical shape, and is almost in complete recovery. No other health issues to be located.**

**PRIVATE CHAT**  
**LOCATION**

"I think I get it," Felix nods. "So, basically, in case of emergency, he can say how far another player is, and I can quickly come up with a plan?" 

"Yes, exactly!" Jeongin claps excitedly. 

"I still have a lot to explain," Chan says, as he closes his hologram with a tap. "Open up your menu, I have to show you other stuff."

Felix nods as he taps on his watch once more, and jumps back at the blue hologram wavering before him. 

**PLAYER'S MENU — FELIX18**

**TEAM INFORMATION**   
**WORLD CHAT**   
**WEAPONS**   
**! NEWS** **!**  
**MAP**   
~~**LOG** **OUT** ~~

~~~~"World chat is self explanatory, yeah?" Chan asks. "The world chat between all the players in he game." Chan taps on the option. "They all talk about stupid stuff."

**[WORLD CHAT]**

**[hellojohnny] sucks that u can't watch porn here :/**

**[chicjackson] auctioning my glock 17 starting at 1000 points :)**

**[ilovebaekhyun] ...that's the starter gun and u can get it at town for 150 points...**

**[chicjackson] chanyeol please i'm just trying to make money, let me LIVE**

**[catbums] LMAO u stupid bitch**

"You get the idea," Chan says. "Next are your weapons. Like I said before, every player starts out with the starter gun—a Glock 17. By killing or injuring other players with that gun, you will earn other points. You can go to town and get new guns or other weapons with those points."

"I don't even know how to use a gun," Felix sighs quietly, lifting his tee up a few inches to reveal the gun he had in his waistband. He remembers Chan's words from earlier, how he said that his gun would always be located in his jeans. "Besides, I could never bring myself to kill another person."

"Changbin's the best with the guns, you should get him to teach you," Jeongin smiles. "We don't kill other players for fun, though. It's only if they attack us first."

"And what happens if you die in the game?"

The boys fall into silence once the words leave Felix's mouth. Chan averts his eyes elsewhere.

"We... we don't know," Chan sighs. "We don't even know what happens with our normal bodies in the real world when we're in here."

"Is it a possibility that we die in real life?"

They fall into silence again, before Chan replies. "Possibly. We don't know."

Felix nods, as he taps on the next option on his menu. The tab is titled 'NEWS' with exclamation points on each side. 

"The next is your news," Jeongin begins the explanation. "It just has all the update information on the game. When the exclamation points are next to it, that means there's a new message to be read."

Felix gazes at the option, reading the latest news.

**! NEWS !**

**— COLOSSEUM UPDATE: Who will be fighting in the colosseum this week?**  
**CHANGBIN of STRAY KIDS versus JOOHEON of MONSTA X!**  
**Good luck to all the participants!**

"Whats a colosseum?" Felix asks after reading the news. 

"The colosseum is a gigantic stadium. The game chooses two random participants every week from opposing teams to fight off. One has to kill the other," Chan answers. "The winner is rewarded with a thousand points. As you can see... Changbin has been chosen this week."

"Can't he, you know... die?" Felix asks quietly. 

"Well, yes," Chan replies. "But we don't underestimate him. He's a good fighter, and can calculate where and when someone will hit him. He's a hard player to fight against."

"You sound awfully confident about him. How do you know?" Felix questions. 

"Well, when you see him fight, you'll see what we mean." Jeongin laughs.

"Lastly, we have your map," Chan continues to explain. "It just shows your location and the overall map of the entire game. It's really big, but it can help you a lot."

"Okay. And what about this log out button?" Felix asks as he points at a tab with the words 'LOG OUT' titled on it. He sees that the words are crossed out. 

"Well," Chan taps on it, but nothing happens. "It's crossed out. We can't log out, since we got sucked into it. Heck, we don't be even know how to get sucked  _out_."

A long sigh exerts through Felix's lips. He felt confused and exhausted. Excessive information gets thrown at him, and he drowns in it all, knowing he can possibly die here. Or even never see his family again. Heck, he was in a slight mental shock even.

"Hey, you're gonna be okay," Chan reassures, placing a palm on Felix's shoulder, and massaging it gently. "We're all here together. We're gonna work together and escape. Felix, we're gonna get out of here."

 Felix stays silent for a few moments before replying, "Can I be alone for a little while?"

"Yeah, of course," Chan says as he stands up from the chair, and rolls it back to the desk it originally was at. "I'll call you out in an hour or two. We're all having dinner tonight, so you can meet the other members."

Felix nods as he watches the two boys leave the room, and closing the door, leaving the young boy to himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> was this confusing? i hope not :( if it is just ask me questions in the comments and i'll try to answer!! thanks everyone for reading + leaving kudos <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HEY um u all know this book has a lot of violence so some of that is in this chapter + death

A few hours pass by the time Felix had a request to stay alone. Chan came around to knock on his bedroom door, calling him out to dinner, and to meet his other teammates. Felix couldn't help but feel a tinge of nervousness, as he is about to meet seven other boys he doesn't even know.

Yet here he is now, sitting at a large dining table surrounded by other strangers. The only boys he knew just barely were Chan and Jeongin.

"Well, everyone," Chan speaks up in the midst of silence. He takes a butter knife next to his plate and begins to slice through the grilled chicken in front of him. "I'm sure you all know we have a new member. His name is Felix."

"Hi," Felix awkwardly greets, avoiding eye contact with the boys as he felt their eyes peer on him. "It's nice to meet all of you."

The other boys start stating all of their names, introducing themselves. Felix isn't very good with names, but he would probably only recognize Seungmin because he's the injured one.

"Seungmin, how's the stomach doing?" Woojin asks, shoving a spoonful of his dinner into his mouth.

"It still hurts," Seungmin complains, as he has another boy, Hyunjin, feeding him the remains of his dinner. 

"I'll take a look at the wound later. Jeongin will make new medicine for you," Woojin replies. Felix remembers that Woojin is the 'doctor' of the group.

"Wait," Changbin speaks, dropping his utensils onto his dinner plate, leading the metal to make a spluttering noise. "Someone's coming. They're getting close."

Felix furrows his eyebrows in confusion as he watches all the boys repeat the action of dropping their utensils. They shoot up from their seats (excluding Seungmin), looking alert. The atmosphere goes cold.

"How far are they?" Chan questions, slipping his hand underneath his shirt to grab his handgun.

"A mile," Changbin calculates as he stares at the floor in focus. His hand grabs for the handgun in his jeans. "They're getting close, and  _quick_."

"It's probably those Pentagon guys. They've been after us for awhile," Minho says in a fit of seriousness. "Do we fight them?"

"No, we don't have much time to prepare," Jisung denies the idea, leading all the boys to feel a bit stressed.

"What's happening?" Felix asks in confusion, frowning as he feels a bit scared from the tense atmosphere.

"Some other group is coming to attack us," Hyunjin explains bluntly. "And they're close."

"Seungmin," Felix suddenly speaks confidently. "You're a demolitionist. Do you make smoke grenades?"

"Yeah," Seungmin nods. "They're in my room, inside of a case."

"We can use those to fog the outside of the cabin," Felix says. "They won't be able to see the house."

 _Wait, what did I just say? How did I even think of that?_ Felix thinks to himself, as he didn't even think twice of his words—they just came out naturally.

"They've came to attack us once, so they know we're located here," Changbin crosses his arms. "It's worth a try, though."

"Okay," Seungmin says as he looks at the boy next to him. "Hyunjin, you know where my grenades are. Go get them."

Hyunjin nods as he leaves the dining room to go their shared room. He fetches a few small rock-like objects before running back.

"Jisung, come with me," Chan instructs, taking the grenades gently from Hyunjin. He gives a few to Jisung. "We're going to go outside and fog it. You guys—hide."

The boys all nod as Felix is once more dazed. He couldn't deny the fact he was a bit scared of what would happen next, he could possibly die, but at the same time it was hard to believe.

"Hyunjin, you have to take Seungmin into the basement. He can't get hurt again," Woojin instructs. "Everyone else, you know what to do."

"Felix, come with me," Changbin grabs the young boy by the arm, dragging the boy to the living room next to the dining table. All the other boys were scurrying around to hide, and covering the windows with curtains. "Get down. We're gonna hide here."

Changbin points to the big couch in the main living room. Felix just nods confusedly, getting on the floor to squirm underneath the gap between the couch and the floor. He wasn't sure how his body was going to fit, but he did. Changbin joins him right after, laying next to him with his gun in hand.

Felix silently lays on his stomach next to Changbin. He watches Hyunjin help Seungmin to some other part of the house (which he assumes leads to the basement), and Hyunjin quickly running back to hide in a kitchen cabinet with Jeongin. Chan and Jisung also run back inside the house, hiding underneath another couch.

"I think they saw us in the distance. Changbin, how far?" Chan asks from across the room.

"They're here," Changbin replies quietly, but loud enough for everyone to hear. "Right outside. Everyone, be ready."

Felix stays quiet as he really has no idea what to do. Fear runs through his veins. He really gets scared when Changbin aims his gun, hearing it click slightly. The elder's arm is brushing against Felix's, and his eyes are in focus as if he is calculating.

The thick wooden door of the cabin busts open, leading the material to thud on the floor. Male voices are heard, and heavy footsteps peer into the cabin. Felix sees pairs of shoes walking into the house from his perspective under the couch.

"They thought smoking the house would work?" a male voice scoffs, walking around the living room with other boys. "I know you're all in here."

Felix widens his eyes as his fear hits the max. He could die, right here, right now, and can't even do anything about it.

Changbin slowly applies pressure on the trigger of his handgun. He has an eye closed, aiming the gun silently as he suddenly tugs it, resulting in the loud ring of a gunshot and the blood curdling screams of pain.

"Changgu! Oh my God!" a boy screams.

Felix was about to scream when he sees the male body drop to the floor with a big thud, and blood pooling out of his leg. If it wasn't for Changbin instinctively putting his palm on Felix's mouth to stop him from screaming, he would've blew their cover.

"You really can't make a noise. You'll get us all killed. I'm sorry that you had to see that," Changbin says quickly under his breath. He isn't heard from the attacking team, since they're all worried about 'Changgu' getting shot in the leg. "I'm about to do something else, so close your eyes if you don't feel comfortable."

Felix just nods in shock again, as Changbin removes his hand from his mouth. He puts his hand back on the gun, quickly aiming it.

"Changgu! Oh gosh, are you okay?!" another male voice screams, as Felix sees him bend down to the injured boy. The boy shakes him, and turns his head to see Felix and Changbin hiding underneath the couch. "Guys! They're right the—"

The boy is caught off as another gunshot rings through the air. The next thing Felix sees is the boy having no face—a bullet pierces through the middle of his forehead and nose, leading blood to splurt out everywhere. The red liquid taints his entire face, and his body falls back to land on top of the other injured man.

"Jinho!" another masculine voice yells. "O-Okay, guys, we've had enough! We're leaving, just don't hurt us anymore!"

Felix assumes that his teammates would stop shooting at them now. After all, Chan had told him:  _We don't hurt anyone unless they attack us first._

The two injured boys are being pulled by the legs by the other team. Eventually, the bodies were out of sight.

"We're leaving!" the voice declares again, as footsteps and other voices are fading away into the distance. The boys eventually left the cabin.

The boys stay in silence in their hiding spots, waiting for Changbin to give everyone the signal of them being gone. After all, he could calculate how far an enemy is (although there was a maximum of the distance he could calculate.)

"They're gone," Changbin says in a monotone manner after the silence. He squirms out of the hiding spot, bending down to extend a hand to help Felix out. However, Felix was in too much of a shock to even correspond. "Felix? Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Felix snaps out of his thoughts. "Oh, um." He grabs onto Changbin's hand, as he is pulled out from the couch spot. He sees all the other members getting out from their hiding spots.

"God, they're so fucking annoying," Minho hisses, looking at the entrance of their door. "Now I have to repair it."

They laugh in response, while Felix just sits down the couch quietly. He's too much in a shock to even realize there was a pool of blood in front of him on the floor.

"Hey," Jeongin comes to sit next to him, while the other boys are talking and cleaning the mess they created. "Are you doing okay?"

"Honestly? No," Felix answers with a sigh as Jeongin rubs his back gently. "God, I've never seen someone die like that. Just in movies... not in front of my eyes."

"I understand, I really do," Jeongin comforts. "I was just the same as you. I've been here for a year, and I still get disgusted seeing it happen." Jeongin continues to talk. "I know it's really hard right now, but you have to adapt to your surroundings. Without adaption, you have no chance of even living here."

"I know, but I just... it's hard to believe. Why did I get stuck in a game? Why do I have to witness murders? It's so sickening," Felix places his chin in his palm. "The guy right next to me killed two guys in front of my eyes."

"You know he isn't really like that," Jeongin replies. "I hope you know that everyone here came to have fun and play video games. Not actually murder people," Jeongin says. "We're all geeks like you. We never had the intention to murder real people, but it's one of those kill or be killed situations."

"I guess that makes me feel a little better now that you say it," Felix sighs. "But still. The sight of them being shot is still in my mind, and it's disgusting."

"You'll get used to it," Jeongin says softly as he pats Felix's back. "It's getting pretty late. We should go to sleep."

Felix nods, "Where is my room, anyway?"

"You and I share a room, silly!" Jeongin laughs. "Remember? You spawned in my room, so therefore we're roommates!"

Felix smiles a bit at Jeongin's bubbly personality. He grabs Felix by the arm, dragging them to their shared room.

Sleep was the one thing Felix most definitely needed after his gruesome day—even though he wasn't able to sleep that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> also i've been recieving so much support on this book and like??? thank you so much omg i appreciate it :D


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i'd recommend looking up a picture of a colosseum before reading this so you can understand the setting a bit better!

"Felix! Felix! Felix!"

Felix wakes up to a boy hovering from above him, chanting his name. He widens his eyes at Jeongin smiling at him from the top bunk, looking down at him.

"Jeez, the least you can do is let me sleep in," Felix yawns, sitting up from the bed. It takes him a moment to remember he got  _sucked into a game_. "Why did you wake me up?"

"Changbin's colosseum battle thing is today," Jeongin answers. It takes a moment for Felix to remember what it actually is—that being the game choosing two random players to face off in a battle till death. "You should go get ready, because we're all going to leave together."

Felix nods as he gets up from the bed, and walks over to the wardrobe he shares with Jeongin. The game seemed to provide just simple clothing, that being t-shirts, jeans, and different sets of shoes. Felix grabs a simple white tee with blue jeans, and walks to the bathroom built well in their room. He brushes his teeth (with a toothbrush Changbin ran to town to get for him in the middle of the night), and uses the bathroom to quickly get ready.

"They should be eating breakfast right now," Jeongin says once Felix exits the bathroom. "Go join them. I'll be out in a bit."

Felix nods as he opens their bedroom door, leaving. He walks down the small hallway of everyone else's bedrooms, and enters the living room and kitchen. Some of the other boys are seated at the dining table, eating pancakes while Chan is cooking at the stove.

"Good morning!" Woojin smiles once he sees Felix.

"Morning," Felix says shyly as he approaches the table. He takes one of the three empty spots, sitting in between Woojin and Minho. He scans the table, noticing someone is gone. "Where's Changbin?"

"Didn't Jeongin tell you about his colosseum thing?" Hyunjin questions.

"Yeah, he did," Felix nods as Chan brings him a plate of pancakes. He thanks him as he does so. "Jeongin said we were gonna go see him?"

"Yeah. Since he's a participant, he has to go there early before it starts," Jisung answers.

"You know you don't have to go Felix," Chan says as he puts another plate of pancakes down in front of Jeongin's empty chair. He then sits down next to Woojin. "I understand that it can be somewhat gruesome for you."

"Exactly," Woojin nods as he places a hand over Felix's in a comforting manner. "Seungmin has to stay home since he's injured, so Hyunjin is staying to watch him. You can stay with them if you want."

Felix stays quiet as he thinks about the events yesterday. He definitely was scared, witnessing two murders in front of his own eyes. He can't even imagine what it would be like to watch his own teammate beat up another man, and kill him for no reason.

"Why not? I think he should go," Minho cuts in. "We were all like him when we joined—we were afraid of the murdering. But we all got rid of the fear, right? By being exposed to it."

"Minho, it's his second day," Woojin argues. "He already saw enough yesterday. He'll probably even get more scared of Changbin."

"Felix," Minho inhales. "It's just my opinion, but the quicker you get rid of your fear, the quicker you adapt here. We've all taken lives here, and you'll probably do it too."

"Minho, stop saying that," Jisung hisses. "You're doing the exact opposite of what Changbin told us."

Minho's gaze hardens at the mention of Changbin. Felix furrows his eyebrows at Jisung's words— _what did Changbin tell them?_

"I-It's your choice," Chan says. "We understand if you don't want to go."

"I think Minho is right," Felix replies sternly, attempting his best to keep his voice steady. "I've already seen him shoot two people. Plus, if the objective of this game is to murder, I should get used to it."

Felix wasn't honest at that. The truth is, he really  _didn't_ want to go, because he was scared for his life. The typical mindset of a teenager like him—he didn't want to seem like a wuss.

"Felix, are you sure? We all went through the same thing, so we know where you're coming from," Seungmin says. "Don't feel tempted to go if you don't want to."

"No, it's okay," Felix speaks in a stable manner. "After listening to Minho, I think he's right."

Felix looks at Minho, as the elder just gives him a small smile—he seems content.

"Did I miss something?" Jeongin walks in, taking one of the empty seats.

"Not much," Chan says. "We were just discussing the colosseum. Your food is getting cold, so hurry up and eat."

The boys continue to chatter amongst themselves while eating their breakfast. By the time they finished, they had their shoes on, and ready to go to the colosseum.

"Felix, it's your first time going outside, yeah?" Jisung asks, tying his laces.

"Yeah," Felix nods. "Is it scary?"

"Mm," Jisung goes into thought. "It's mostly just greenery, not anything scary. The only scary things are that other players just randomly show up with a gun."

Felix shudders at the thought.

"You know we have your back, Felix," Chan smiles. "Don't feel so stressed. We're here for you."

The boy nods as Minho opens the front door. The boys all step outside. The game world appears to be similar as Jisung said—full of greenery. It was like a forest and jungle combined into one—at specific parts there would be trees, and at times there wouldn't.

"How do you know where we're going?" Felix questions as he walks next to Jeongin. Chan and Woojin are in front of them, with Minho and Jisung behind. (Seungmin had to stay back due to his injuries and Hyunjin to watch over him.)

"I've been here for two years," Chan laughs. "The map eventually got tattooed into my brain."

"I still think it's kind of weird that you don't feel scared at all for Changbin," Felix sighs. "I mean, yeah, he's crazy smart and insanely talented, but how can you be so sure he'll win?"

"We've all said it so many times," Woojin says. "You'll have to see him yourself."

"I mean, I would doubt him too, Felix," Minho joins the conversation. "That Jooheon dude he's fighting against... heard he's a tough opponent."

"Where would you hear that from?" Jisung laughs.

"World chat," Minho refers to the player chat. "They all go nuts on there on the colosseum day."

"I stopped looking at that stupid chat ages ago," Chan responds. "A lot of retarded shit goes in there."

The boys continue to laugh as they safely reach the colosseum area. The colosseum appears to be a gigantic tall, oval like wooden wall—like a stadium. There was a large entrance destroyed into the wood with tons of other players swarming around.

"Can't people hurt us?" Felix asks as the six boys walk into the entrance.

"No," Minho answers. "The colosseum is like town. It's like a barrier that prevents any type of weapon hurting you—they just pass through you. It's a no weapon zone."

Felix nods as the boys find seats in the middle. The colosseum was a gigantic oval shape stadium—similar to a modern day's gymnasium or field. The rows of seats were made of wood, rising gradually as the seats went higher. They were similar to gymnasium bleachers in structure. 

Felix looks around as the colosseum is filled with numerous amounts of other players.

"Wow, so many psychopaths," Felix says. "I cant believe so many people come just to see a live murder."

"That would make us one too," Jeongin laughs. "I guess you can say... it's our entertainment. Like in the real world, we have tv shows and such... this is our tv."

Felix couldn't deny that Jeongin  _did_ sound a little crazy at that, but he couldn't be blamed. This was their lifestyle—and it was his too, now.

"Attention all players!"

The spectators of the colosseum slimmer their voices as a robotic voice speaks through the whole space over speakers.

"We'll be starting our annual colosseum battle!"

"Felix," Chan says. "If you don't feel okay, let us know. We'll take you out."

Felix nods at Chan's comforting words, as he places his eyes on the middle of the colosseum. The ring floor was oval shaped, and the floor is made of hardened, smooth sand.

"Changbin of Stray Kids versus Jooheon of Monsta X!"

Cheers erupt through the whole audience. Felix could've gone deaf at that point, due to the insane amount of screaming.

Out of opposite walls of the main stage, two boys walk out. The men are unarmed with weapons, and walk forward to the center. They eventually stop, and stand right in front of one another.

"Good luck to both participants! We'll be starting on the count of three!"

The spectator's voices seem to take over the robotic voice with their chanting.

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

Felix wishes he didn't come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you all so so so much for the insane amount of support on this book!! i appreciate it so much ahh i promise i will try updating as much as i can :) i really want to talk to you guys so you guys can hit me up on my instagram @bfhansols if you wanna talk:)


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAVENT UPDATED IN SO LONG FUCK I AM SO SORRy guyS i'll updat more

"Three!"

"Two!"

"One!"

The audience's chants and the announcer's voice mixes together. The two participants of the colosseum match—Jooheon and Changbin—glare at one another as Changbin makes the first move.

"No weapons?" Felix asks, seeing no gun in their hands.

"Nope," Chan answers. "It's all done by hand."

Felix can't help but feel a bit nervous as sweat forms at his temples. He watches his teammate charge at his opponent, making his right hand a fist and throwing it at Jooheon.

Jooheon takes a few steps back due to the power of the punch. He wipes blood off his lip with the back of his palm. He quickly moves forward, putting his hand into a fist, and punches Changbin back.

The crowd roars with more anticipation, meanwhile Felix bites his nails. The stress and anxiety piles his shoulders, fearing the thought that Changbin  _can_ die.

Jooheon's knuckles make contact with Changbin's face, splitting the skin over his cheekbone. A thin purple bruise forms, as crimson blood drips down slowly. Changbin staggers back from the force of the blow, gritting his teeth in pain.

It wasn't too violent for Felix as of now, (although he did witness someone being shot in the face) but it didn't feel quite nice to see a physical fight.

Changbin furrows his eyebrows as he then swings his foot midway in the air, the tip of his boot hitting Jooheon's stomach harshly. Jooheon falls to the floor from the kick, clutching his stomach in reflex.

"Yeah! Get that bitch!" Minho roars, standing up from his seat while wildly applauding.

Changbin quickly straddles Jooheon, sitting on his waist as he throws punches at his face. Multiple cuts and bruises began to paint his face, and Jooheon has grunts escaping his mouth with each blow. 

"God," Felix mutters under his breath, placing a palm on his forehead in reflex to his anxiety. "I didn't know he could do more than using a gun."

"Surprised, huh?" Chan nudges.

Felix continues to watch the gruesome fight, as Changbin eventually stands up. He then swings his boot powerfully into the midst of Jooheon's stomach. It is no surprise when Jooheon begins to cough up blood, the red liquid splattering all over the floor and Changbin's boot.

"Oh jeez," Felix widens his eyes, unconsciously scooting closer to Jeongin. Jeongin swings an arm over Felix's shoulders in a comforting manner.

The audience begins to cheer even louder when Changbin takes things further. He kicks Jooheon's face to the side, and then digs his boot into the crook of Jooheon's neck.

"Is he standing on his neck?! Holy shit!" Felix screams as his first instinct is to hide his face into Jeongin's shoulder. 

Jeongin and Chan chuckle a little at Felix's actions, but Jeongin comforts him by holding his back. He pats his shoulder. 

Although the boys thought Felix's reactions were a bit funny, Felix couldn't help but feel a bit  _intimidated_ and  _scared_ by Changbin. Seeing his own teammate beat another man up— _kill him_ —is perhaps too much for him.

Changbin continues digging his foot into Jooheon's neck, as his neck eventually makes a cracking noise, resulting in his neck snapping. Crimson blood sprays out from his neck, and multiple screams escape his mouth. His screams turn into cries, his cries turn into whimpers, and then his whimpers turn into silence.

"We have a winner!" the announcer's voice booms through the speakers. Felix removes his head from Jeongin's biceps after hearing the news. He looks at the arena. "Changbin of Stray Kids! Congratulations!" 

"Yeah! That's my boy!" Chan cheers, screaming at the top of his lungs as all the players in the audience applaud.

Felix sees Changbin standing in the middle of the arena. There is a body on the floor next to him, but it isn't very explicit due to the body degenerating into game pixels, and eventually into thin air.

"See what we mean? He's a great fighter," Woojin smiles at Felix.

Felix just nods in response, but he just feels overwhelmed. He already witnessed Changbin kill two people, but this one was... different. Changbin had killed another innocent player with his bare hands, and seeing that with two eyes really scares him.  _He felt scared of his own teammate._  

"Felix? You okay?" Minho asks. Felix snaps out of his thoughts, and looks up to see his teammates already standing up. "We have to go get Changbin before we leave."

"U-Um," Felix says nervously, quickly standing up. "Chan, can you walk me back? I don't really want to wait."

The boys furrow their eyebrows and look at each other confusedly.

"Sure," Chan nods. "You guys, go get him and we'll meet you back at the cabin."

The boys nod as they all part their respectable ways.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys I promise there's will be more changlix in the next chapter


	7. Chapter 7

"Hey, are you okay?"

Felix looks up to see Chan hovering over him. He has a worried look on his face. Right now, it's the only two of them sitting in the living room, as they just returned from the colosseum. Hyunjin and Seungmin were home too—since Hyunjin has to watch over him due to his injury. The other boys were on their way back too—but Felix requested to leave earlier since he didn't feel comfortable walking back with Changbin.

"Honestly? No." Felix answers, a sigh exasperating between his lips.

"I know it's scary," Chan sits down next to him on the couch, comfortingly placing a hand over his back. "And it'll take a while to get used to. Of course, we are all just as afraid, but it's even scarier seeing some guy you live with, kill people. And I also know you may not trust us... yet. You just met us all one day ago, and everything is so sudden. We all hate the idea of death and murder in general, but it's something we have to adapt to and understand that it's the course of life in this world. None of these players wished death upon anyone, we all just wanted play games and have fun, that's why we downloaded this game. We didn't expect to get sucked into a virtual world of life and death."

Felix sees a point in what Chan was saying. Of course, he understands everything, but isn't it a natural response to be scared if you saw some guy you _live_ with, beat and kill another man?

The younger opens his mouth to reply, but is cut off by the door busting open. The other five boys walk in, loud and cheery due to Changbin's victory.

"Hey! You put on a good show out there!" Chan exclaims at the sight of Changbin.

"Haha, thanks," Changbin replies, a small smile tugging on his lips. He makes eye contact with Felix. "Hey, Felix."

"Hi," Felix greets, managing to keep his tone subtle and confident. "Nice job out there."

"You went?" Changbin questions. He furrows his eyebrows as he seems confused.

"Yeah." Felix nods.

Changbin doesn't reply as he looks at the other boys with a questionable and confused look—and he seems a little angry.

"Felix," Woojin calls out, breaking the silence. "Can you do me a favor by dressing Changbin's wounds? I have to go check on Seungmin."

"U-Um, sure," Felix hesitantly agrees, a little bit of fear rising inside him. "Do you have a first aid kit?"

"Yeah, right here," Jeongin opens the cabinet inside the kitchen, grabbing a red box. "The medicine is in here. The dressing and stuff is in our room, just ask Changbin where it is."

Changbin grabs the first aid box and then goes into the room. Felix quietly follows Changbin into Jeongin and his' bedroom. He goes into the bathroom and comes out with another first aid box.

"You sit on the bed, I'll sit here," Changbin says as he rolls one of the desk chairs in front of the bed. Felix sits down on the bed mattress, and then watches Changbin sit down on the leather chair. The boys are now sitting right in front of each other. "Is this okay?"

"Yeah," Felix avoids eye contact as he opens both of the first aid kits. He grabs a few q-tips and gel medicine for the cuts and bruises. "It'll burn a little."

Changbin shuts his eyes in reflex when Felix begins to spread the gel across the cuts on his face.

"You looked pretty cool out there, but you got beat up good." Felix comments, not wanting the atmosphere to be too awkward. Nonetheless, Chan did manage to make him feel a little better about the whole thing, but still felt just a little scared, knowing what Changbin is capable of.

"Haha, yeah," Changbin says, rolling up his sleeves to show the game tattoo on his wrist. "I got a lot of points, though. Winning always has good prizes."

Felix peers down, and although he couldn't comprehend exactly how many points he had, he could tell there were a lot of numbers.

"I can't really see, I'm going to stand up," Felix says as he stands up. He doesn't want to make Changbin's wounds any worse. He continues in spreading the q-tip across his bruises.

"How come you came?" Changbin suddenly asks.

"What do you mean?" Felix questions.

"I mean... why did you come to the colosseum? I figured you would feel uncomfortable." Changbin says, and Felix could feel his breath hit his face. He was too occupied in dressing his wounds, that he didn't even realize their faces were so close to each other.

"Oh," Felix begins, as he swiftly moves away. He grabs the gauze and tape from the medical kit before getting close to him again. "The boys didn't force me to go, they just kinda persuaded me. Told me it would be a good experience to adapt quicker to my surroundings."

Changbin furrows his eyebrows at Felix's answer. Moreover, he seems a little pissed off. He doesn't reply as he just watches Felix continue in dressing his wounds. He cuts the gauze into squares and uses the medical tape to cover his bruises. The elder quickly takes note of how shaky Felix's hands are when he gets close to him.

"Are you scared of me?" Changbin whispers under his breath, but loud enough for the younger to hear.

"Huh?" Felix seems taken aback by his words. "No, of course not. W-Why would I be?"

 _Shit. I stuttered_ , Felix says in the midst of his mind.

"Your hands are shaking whenever they get near me. Your voice is also quite shaky," Changbin says as he watches Felix quickly tape the last cut and close the medical supplies box. "You don't have to lie to me."

"And if I am?" Felix asks, cutting eye contact off with him.

"Then it's okay. I don't blame you," Changbin says, standing up from the chair. He rolls the leather chair back to the original spot. "You should take a nap or something. You seem tired."

"I probably should. Thanks." Felix awkwardly says as he watches Changbin leave the bedroom, closing the door, and leaving Felix to himself.

—

"Can all of you come here, please?" Changbin announces as he leaves Felix's bedroom. He makes sure to leave the door closed. "Seungmin and Hyunjin, too."

"He's sleeping. His stomach hurts," Hyunjin says as he comes out of his shared bedroom with Seungmin. "What's up?"

Changbin waits in the living room as all the other boys (excluding Seungmin and Felix) sit down on the couches. They kind of all seem a bit scared—as if they did something they weren't supposed to.

"Why'd you guys take him?" Changbin asks in anger, and all the boys knew he's referring to Felix.

The boys remain silent and look at the floor, not having a word to say.

"None of you guys have an answer? Not a word?" Changbin asks, his tone just getting angrier. "What, you guys can't talk now? Just earlier you were all big talk! I asked, why'd you take him?!"

"We thought he would be able to get used to everything quicker," Jisung says quietly. "We're sorry, Changbin."

"Get used to everything quicker? What kind of bullshit is that?" Changbin yells. "I instructed all of you to make sure he doesn't go, but oh, what do you do? Do the fucking opposite and take him!"

"Chang—"

"Shut up! I don't wanna hear any of it!" Changbin shouts. "The poor kid just got here less than two days ago and already witnessed so many bad things! He has a lot on his plate, and the last thing I'd want is for him to see one of his own teammates kill someone with his own hands! Do you know how terrorized he probably is?"

The boys continue to remain silent as they take in Changbin's lecture.

"And in there, he was so scared of me, and I feel absolutely terrible! His hands were all shaky and he could barely talk! I thought I could trust you guys after specifically stating to not bring him!" Changbin yells. "I don't want him to be afraid of me."

"You shouldn't yell at all of us, Changbin," Minho states, standing up from the couch. "If anything, yell at me. I was the one to offer him the idea of coming. I persuaded him."

"I don't understand _why_ you did that when I made it crystal clear to all of you I didn't want Felix coming. Why didn't any of you stop him? You're all to blame here." Changbin states in a monotone voice. "The kid is probably gonna be scarred for life, and afraid of me. I never wanted that for him. Place yourself in his shoes, just like how you all were just as afraid when you first came here."

"But—"

"You don't have a right to say an excuse. You knew it was wrong," Changbin cuts Minho off. "Even if he did agree to come, he didn't know what to expect. You all know that."

Without any more words exchanged between the boys, Changbin flashes a mix of a glare and a dirty look. He then stomps off quickly to his bedroom, shutting the door loudly to signal that he was done for the day.

...and little did they all know, Felix was listening.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i just wanted to thank you all for being so patient with my  
> updating & the support on this book! i will try updating asap :)


	8. Chapter 8

A few days have passed since Felix's arrival. To be exact—it's been a week. He's been adapting to the environment and getting closer with the other boys, and he feels somewhat comfortable with them. Of course, he has gotten closer to Changbin, chatting with him more often (despite him being afraid of him a week ago, but he's better now.) If Felix is being honest, Changbin is probably the second closest he's bonded with—Jeongin being the first. Frankly speaking, he works well with Changbin. Due to their game jobs, which proves that they will work together well, they have gotten closer.

One thing Felix still refuses to do is to kill or injure anyone. They have been raided only once (which Felix did witness on his second day), but he does not have any intention to injure someone (unless he is forced to.)

As of now, the nine boys were sitting at their dining table, and enjoying their breakfast cooked by Chan.

"Wait. I just realized something." Felix says as he drops his fork into his empty plate.

"What?" Jisung asks, as everyone seems intrigued by Felix's words.

"I downloaded this game with one of my friends... is he here too?" Felix asks, as his memory goes back to when he was on a Skype call with Bambam, and the two gamers were screaming over how excited they were to play Dreamwatch.

"Um, yeah, he should be," Minho answers. "Or maybe he died. You don't know."

"Is there any way you can contact other players on here?" Felix asks.

"No. The only players you can contact on here are your team members," Hyunjin replies. "A.K.A., us."

"Well, you never know, you may see him around," Chan adds. "I downloaded this game with a friend too. His name is Jaebum, and one day, I just saw him walking around town. It can happen."

"And you guys aren't in contact?" Felix raises an eyebrow.

"Nope. I get to see him only if I get lucky," Chan nods. The conversation ends as all the boys finish their breakfast. "Who's doing the dishes? Nose goes!"

All the boys quickly place their index finger on their noses before screaming, "Seungmin!"

"What?! Come on guys, I'm injured!" Seungmin protests.

"Shut up, you're healed. You're completely fine now." Changbin scoffs.

"Um, I have to go to town," Jeongin says. "I'm running a bit low on medicinal herbs. I'm going to go buy some."

Felix almost forgets that Jeongin is the herbalist of the team, and that he is depended on for making medicine.

"Can I come?" Felix suddenly asks. "It's just that, I've never seen the town. I'm quite curious."

"Well I mean yeah, if you want to," Jeongin says. "The town is a safe barrier. So, no other player can injure you. The bullet passes through like a ghost."

Felix nods as he recalls when Chan instructed to him a week ago how the virtual world works.

"Stay safe, okay?" Jisung calls out as he is helping Seungmin do the dishes.

The two youngsters nod as they fetch their shoes and leave the cabin. They set foot out on the greenery, as Jeongin uses the map on his player's menu to navigate.

"I've been here for a year and I still don't know the directions to town," Jeongin laughs. "Be on the lookout, though. We don't know when people are near."

"How come there are no other cabins here?" Felix asks as he follows Jeongin. He looks around as they're only following a trail, and the rest is greenery.

"Chan was the first one to spawn in our team. He said you have to depend on making yourself a cabin, if you choose to," Jeongin explains. "I wasn't here when Minho came along. He's the architect, so he built the cabin. I guess they were smart to build it where no one else lives."

"I wonder if there are multiple towns and such? There are a lot of players, and it's a big world." Felix comments.

"Yeah. Our theory is the whole game world is like one country, and there are multiple towns and colosseums located throughout, like cities." Jeongin explains.

The two continue walking (luckily not getting jumped by other players), and eventually reach a place where the town is in distance. From what Felix can make out from his view, the town is similar to a flea market. Multiple players were walking through.

"It kind of looks like medieval times," Felix comments.

"Yeah? It's kind of like a flea market." Jeongin replies.

Jeongin suddenly stops, and looks around. Felix stops next to him, wondering why he suddenly stopped, as they were just a mile close to the town. Jeongin furrows his eyebrows as he then looks into Felix's direction, his eyes widening and jaw dropping.

"Felix, watch out!" Jeongin screams at the top of his lungs as he immediately jumps on top of Felix, and a loud gunshot erupts.

Felix feels his body jump from the loud piercing noise, but the giant lump on top of him is what scares him more. Jeongin's body was now straddling Felix, and his face buried in the pit of his shoulder.

"Jeongin?! Jeongin!" Felix screams as he feels his wrist burn with pain. "Jeongin, oh my god, what is happening?!"

Felix feels confused when he has no idea happening. Jeongin isn't moving on top of him, a gunshot was heard, and his wrist is burning. He didn't know what to do.

"Ugh, my fucking wrist!" Felix cusses as he manages to tap on his watch, opening his player's menu. This eases his burning, but the words displayed on his screen just made matters worse.

**JEONGIN HAS BEEN INJURED.**   
**CHECK LOCATION**

"Jeongin?!" Felix yells as he places his palms on Jeongin's back, and throws him off. This results in Jeongin screaming in pain. Felix looks at his hands, and sees his palms all bloody.

That's when it hits him—Jeongin got shot in the back. Felix's instinct is to look around, searching for who shot him. He turns around, and sees a figure dressed in black, who seems to be pointing a metallic object at him.

Right at that moment, Felix's body reacts quicker than his mind. His hands instantly reach for the gun located in the waistband of his jeans, and rips the black object out to point the gun at the figure. His fingers do not tremble as they wrap around the trigger, and his index finger presses down swiftly, and a loud gunshot emerges into the sky. A bullet flies out of the object, piercing the other player's body, and a loud scream erupting as the figure fell backwards.

Felix doesn't have the time to even worry of him killing someone right now—Jeongin got shot, and that's all that matters to him. He jumps to his knees to pull Jeongin onto his stomach—he assumes that him laying on his back would make matters worse.

One thing Felix didn't notice however, was how his player points increased. His game tattoo is displayed as shown:

**DREAMWATCH**   
**2042925**   
**600**

"Jeongin!" screams were heard in the background as Felix looks up, to see a few familiar boys running their way. Felix instantly recognizes them and throws his hands up to signal that they're here.

"Felix is here too, guys!" one of them shouts as they all sprint to their wanted location.

"Felix! You're okay, right?" Changbin is the first one to arrive and fall on his knees next to the younger. He places his hands on each side of Felix's cheeks in a worrisome manner. "You're not hurt too, right?"

Felix could almost feel his heart jump out of his chest. He looks up at Changbin who stares deep into his eyes, his crescent shaped eyes full of worry. His face seems so genuinely concerned, and Felix didn't even know why his heart started thumping even louder when Changbin ran to him.

"I-I'm fine," Felix answers, looking away to take Changbin's hands off his face. He looks at Jeongin's bleeding body, and Woojin, their doctor, is already attending his wounds. "It's Jeongin. H-He sacrificed himself."

"For you?" Jisung asks, eyebrows raised.

"Oh gosh, yes," Felix replies as his feelings crash into one, resulting into him feeling more overwhelmed. "He put himself out there. There was someone behind me, ready to shoot me, but he jumped in front of me when he shot. It's my fault, isn't it?"

"No, it's no one's fault," Chan instantly denies. "Don't ever think that."

The boys stay in silence as they watch Woojin analyze Jeongin. His breathing was slow and heavy, and his wounded back just gushed with more blood as Woojin eyed the bullet piercing his flesh.

"Well?" Felix asks, his eyes all big due to the amount of fear in his mind.

Silence blows by as Woojin takes a deep breath before exhaling the words, "He won't make it."

Those words themselves is enough for Felix to drop his jaw and almost fall off his knees. His heart rate went even quicker, and he didn't even know what he is feeling at this point. It honestly feels too much for him—to already see his first friend here off, and the one who was the closest to him. His roommate, and the one he understood most. Just within a week, the two were glued best friends.

"The bullet went really deep—it went into his kidneys. He'll have internal bleeding—and his body is still growing. He can't do it." Woojin explains in a monotone voice, bluntly.

"And you're not going to do anything about it?" Felix asks, a bit of anger filling his voice. Hearing those words felt sickening. "You're not going to even try saving him? Just let him off? He's seventeen—he has so much to live for... and you're going to cut the line?" Felix could feel the tears forming at his eyes.

"There's nothing I can do, Felix. I don't have the proper medical tools or screening to help. I'm sorry." Woojin apologizes. "I'm just as stoned as you are, believe me. But we have to accept how it works here. Someone will die, and we will move on."

"Felix," a low voice erupts from the floor as Jeongin croaks out his painful sounding voice. "It's okay. Don't worry."

"Jeongin..." Felix begins to cry out his name, his eyes brimming with tears. "Please don't leave me. Not yet. We just met and we got so close... you can't abandon me now."

"As much as I wish to stay," Jeongin says slowly as he grunts between his words, the pain rising in his back. "I know I can't. You'll be strong for me, alright?"

"You're so stupid," Felix cries out, the tears rolling down his cheeks. He could hear sniffles from the other members around, and Changbin swings his arm around Felix's shoulders in a comforting manner. "Who told you to protect me? You could've let me get shot instead. Gosh... you're crazy."

"I love you Felix, you know that, right?" Jeongin cries out, as he sniffles his tears. He makes eye contact with Felix, reaching for his hand. Felix instantly grabs hold of him. "I don't think I've ever bonded with anyone as much as I did with you. You're my first real friend. Even though it was just a week... you've made me happy. A reason to laugh in a cruel world like this."

Sniffles from all around are heard from everyone, grieving at the news and at the hearing of Jeongin's last words.

"I don't want to part ways with you, like this. But, somehow, I'm okay with it. Just knowing that I'm leaving because I was able to save you from this pain is okay with me," Jeongin says as he then gasps for air, a grunt escaping his lips from the pain. "You're going to continue to live, and you're gonna beat this game. For me, alright?"

"Don't say that," Felix cries as he leans on Changbin, finding the sight unbearable. Changbin comfortingly rubs Felix's back, and sniffles back his own tears. "Please, Jeongin, please..."

"Thank you _all_ for accepting me," Jeongin croaks out slowly in pain, before gasping for breath to whisper his last words. As he does so, he says it with a small smile, "I love you all, and until we meet again."

Jeongin closes his eyes, and that's all it takes for the boys to let out their emotions. Jeongin takes his last breath before it exhales through his now dry lips, and never to rise again. His skin, which was so warm and tan, has transformed into an icy white. His stomach is no longer rising, and his breath is gone. But the worst part is—his eyes close with a smile on his lips.

And that's when they knew, Jeongin is dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops... rip jeongin :(


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE: this chapter is not set in the game world! it is set in the REAL world!

"Doctor Park! Patient in room 426 is going in cardiac arrest!"

The man's eyes shift from his computer screen to the nurse screaming in the hallway. Other nurses and doctors are running across the corridor. The man himself gets up from his seat, and follows the nurse into the hospital room.

Doctor Park enters to one of his many patients, a young and smart boy, In Jeongin. The boy was laying down on the hospital bed, attached to the IV hooks and other needles, and his eyes closed to signify his coma state. The lines on the machine were going off, and all the noises were erupting from the technology.

Doctor Park immediately runs to his young patient, and places his palms on the boy's chest. He begins to pump down on his heart, and performs CPR. He counts the pumps under his breath.

Screams are heard in the back from other surrounding medical staff, and the boy's family.

"Quick! Get me the heart shock!" Doctor Park exclaims, his heart dropping a bit too, wanting to save his young patient. "Take off his shirt."

One of the doctors on stand-by quickly rip the hospital gown off Jeongin's body, exposing his upper chest.

The nurses quickly roll in with the heart shock machine, and instantly begin putting on the machine and preparing to shock the boy.

"Give it to me," Doctor Park orders in the situation of the emergency. He is handed the two handles of the machine. "Give me two hundred jewls."

The nurses set the machine to the designated amount of jewls, and Doctor Park places the machine on Jeongin's bare chest.

"Three, two, one, shock!"

The machine shocks the boy's body, sending the waves of electricity and shock throughout his state. The machines hooked to him start to beep even louder.

"It's working! Give me two hundred and fifty jewls!" the doctor exclaims, as the nurses set the jewls up once again. "Three, two, one, shock!"

The machines go off again, and Doctor Park shocks him. Jeongin's body goes up with the machine.

"One last time. Give me three hundred jewls," Doctor Park commands, and sets the numbers up once more. "Three, two, one, shock!"

Once the machine shocks the patient one last time, the other machines hooked up to him begin to quiet down, and eventually go back to normal. The heart monitor was going at a normal speed again. Jeongin returns to his coma.

"He's okay," Doctor Park says in relief, putting the heart shock machine away. "Thankfully."

"It's strange, don't you think?" Doctor Lee, the stand-by doctor, asks. "All these boys throughout the world going into comas? They all appear to be within the same age range, too."

"I agree," Doctor Park nods. "Not to add, some of them go through cardiac arrests. I found it strange, though, because Jeongin has been in his coma for a year. He's never had any health complications or issues like this, ever."

"All the hospitals have been filling up with boys like him," Doctor Lee sighs. "It's just too suspicious. It's going around like a disease—boys going in comas and going into cardiac arrests."

"But have any of them actually died of the cardiac arrests?" Doctor Park asks.

"Not any that I know of," Doctor Lee answers. "Most of their parents just say the boys come home from school, do homework, play some games, and then go to sleep. Next morning, they're suddenly in a coma."

"It's weird. Too weird." Doctor Park sighs.

"Doctor Park?" one of the nurses come by, interrupting their conversation. "The new patient in the room next over, Lee Felix? He's experiencing some mental shock right now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> jeongin isn't dead?? hmm i wonder what's going on.. also i apologize for the lack of updates, i had no internet last week so i wasnt able to update, but now i'm on summer break! so more updates! however, i am flying out of town this upcoming week and idk if i will be able to update, but i will definitely update a day before i leave, so expect an update very soon... and some changlix... thank you all for staying so patient with me!


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NOTE : i realize that the last chapter was a bit confusing so i will briefly explain it. basically, all the ppl in the game world are in a coma in the real world. and when they die in the game, they have a cardiac arrest in the real world. however, the doctor DID point out none of the boys have actually died from the cardiac arrest and just returned back to their coma state. let's remember that the boys are under the impression if someone dies in the game, they die in the real world... that's what they THINK. but is that really true?

Felix inhales a deep breath as his eyes stare at the ceiling before him. He's sitting on the top bunk of his bed, but the bedroom felt quiet. He felt... _lonely_. Although he couldn't be _blamed_ for it—the bedroom belongs to Jeongin and Felix, or at least, it _used to. The tragic hit earlier in the d_ ay, resulting in Jeongin's leave. As of now, the bedroom no longer belongs to the two boys, now it's just Felix. Felix doesn't deny the tears that roll down his cheeks as he stares at the ceiling before him. All the memories and conversations he's made with Jeongin during the past week keeps replaying in his mind, but it stings him even more when he remembers Jeongin's lifeless body in front of him and breathing his last words.

Another breath exhales through his lips as he gets up slowly from his laying position, careful to not hit his head on the ceiling. It's late at night, and all the other boys are sleeping. However, Felix couldn't just sleep right away like that, he felt too empty. Too sad. He feels the need to refresh his mind. With the thoughts clawing at the back of his mind, he slowly climbs down the bunk ladder. He hits the floor softly, his feet padding along the wooded floor to the entrance of his bedroom. He pulls the door open, ready to step outside, but he's met with a surprise.

Felix almost lets his mouth free by a yelp, as he gets scared by the buff shadow in front of him. If it weren't for the shadow to quickly cover Felix's mouth with his palm, he probably would've woken up the whole household.

"Gosh," Felix exhales when he makes out the shadow in front of him, recognizing him instantly. He takes his palm off Felix's mouth. "You scared me, Changbin."

"I didn't mean to," Changbin whispers. He's also aware of it being late at night, and he doesn't want to wake up the other boys in the other rooms. "I was going to knock right now. I wasn't being a creep, I swear."

"Sure," Felix scoffs lightly. "Why are you here? It's late, you should sleep."

"I just wanted to check up on you. I can understand how hard it would be for you... but I mean, it's hard for all of us too, but I was just worried particularly about you," Changbin explains a bit slowly. He seems a bit embarrassed by his words. "Where were you going, anyway?"

"Um, I don't really know," Felix sighs. "The truth is, I can't sleep. I can't think. I don't know what to do... he's just on my mind. I wanted to refresh my mind a little."

"Hey, it's gonna be okay," Changbin comforts, placing a hand on Felix's shoulder. He rubs it a little. "Um, if you want, you can spend the night in my room, with me. You might feel a little bit better, even though I'm not the best at comforting."

Felix drops his jaw a little by Changbin's offer. He didn't want to reject, of course he would love to, but he was just a bit surprised by his offer. He didn't really expect it, especially from Changbin.

"If you really think so... can I?" Felix asks, a small smile creeping onto him.

"Well, that's why I offered," Changbin laughs softly. "Come on, you'll have a good sleep. I'll make you feel better."

Felix nods as he follows Changbin a few doors over. They enter his room. The bedroom is similar to Felix's, except it was smaller, and it has a queen-sized bed. The bed is already messed up, which Felix assumes that Changbin was also trying to sleep earlier.

"You can sleep on this side," Changbin says as he closes the door behind him. He quickly pads to the bed, and moves the pillow to the left side of the bed. He pulls the blankets back, patting the mattress. "My bed isn't that big, but we're not that fat."

Felix laughs a little at his joke. To be honest, he was expecting Changbin's room to have a bunk bed too. _Well, nothing wrong with sleeping on the same bed as your male friend, right? Plus, he's supposed to be comforting me._

"Are you coming?" Changbin jokingly asks, patting the empty space. He rolls to the right side of the bed, which he claims as his own.

Felix nods silently as he walks over, and climbs into the same bed as Changbin. Sure, it can be considered weird to be sleeping in the same bed with a dude you met for a week, but when you're forced to live in an environment like this, what's to expect? However, Changbin and Felix got closer within that week, so it wasn't too strange.

"I should've brought my pillows," Felix comments as he realizes Changbin gave his own pillow up for Felix's head, and the elder himself was laying down with no pillow. Felix doesn't think twice before he moves the pillow to the center of the bed, in between the two of their heads. "We can share."

Changbin's cheeks flush red, but wasn't visible to the dark of the night. He mutters a shy thanks before he scoots closer to Felix, and both boys are laying their heads on the shared pillow.

 _Wait, what the hell did I just do?_ Felix thinks as he furrows his eyebrows. He really didn't think twice about his action, and now he's really sharing a pillow with Changbin. Not to mention, Changbin threw a blanket over their bodies. Now they're sharing a blanket, too.

"You know, I already feel better," Felix says. "I mean, of course, I still feel sad over _it,_ but I don't feel as lonely."

"Yeah? Well, I'm glad you feel that way," Changbin says as he looks at Felix. Felix looks up at the ceiling, intaking a breath, and Changbin takes note of the small water droplets forming around his eyelids. "Felix... it's okay to cry. If you need to, then let it out. Sometimes it's better to cry than to not let anything out. I'm here for you, and I'll listen to whatever you have to say. Always."

"I'm sorry you have to see me like this," Felix sniffs, trying to fight back the tears. He didn't want to cry, especially not like this. He subconsciously lays his head onto Changbin's shoulder, and his hand tugs on the end of his shirt lightly. "It's just... I didn't know him for that long, but we were so close. I don't know what to do. I don't even know where he is... is he dead in the real world? I have so many questions, my head is spinning, but I don't know what to do."

"Death is something we have to accept not only in the game, but in real life too," Changbin says, as he blushes a little at Felix for laying his head on him, and his hand toying with his shirt. The elder takes his chance by taking his hand to slide under Felix's shoulders slyly, and to stroke his hair in a comforting manner. "I know it's hard, I really do. But accepting the losses is how we have to move on, and we have to adapt. You've gotten used to it pretty quick, but you have to move on. We all do." Changbin takes a sharp breath. "You might be wondering as to why we're not as effected as you are. Yes, we're all sad, but we've gotten used to the idea of death. We had another member in Stray Kids, his name was Allen, but he got shot. And he passed away."

"I'm sorry," Felix is a bit shocked at the news—but that makes him understand more as to why the boys weren't pouring all their emotions at Jeongin's death—they're used to it. "And I'm sorry for crying to you like this. You're tired, and it's late, we should sleep."

"Sure, but are you okay? I don't mind staying up with you if you want to talk some more," Changbin says. "I'm here for you. I understand what it's like, I really do."

"Yeah," Felix nods. "I really appreciate you to even reach out to me to make sure I'm okay. The fact that you got out of bed to check up on me is really sweet... so thanks."

Felix blushes a little as he realizes their position. He's practically all against Changbin in his arms, under the same blanket. He realizes his heart beats so fast out of his chest, he can hear it—and he hopes Changbin doesn't hear it.

"I know it's weird... but can we stay like this? I'm comfortable, and it's actually making me tired," Felix asks shyly, without thinking. He instantly regrets what he says. "Wait, um, I mean—"

"It's okay. If you're going to finally get some sleep tonight, I don't mind," Changbin laughs. "Plus, I'm comfortable too."

The two stay in silence as they both are against each other in the same bed. Changbin is stroking Felix's hair, while he lays on Changbin's shoulder.

"Um, really, thanks a lot," Felix says awkwardly. "I appreciate it more than you think. Thank you."

"Of course. Don't hesitate to wake me up if anything happens, okay?" Changbin mentions sweetly.

Felix smiles to himself as he closes his eyes. The two fall asleep peacefully in the midst of the night, and little did they know, they snuggled even closer in their slumber.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> after all the sad stuff you guys deserve some cute stuff lol, also i didn't proofread i'm too lazy


	11. Chapter 11

Felix opens his eyes as he's met with the blinding rays of light pouring through the glass windows. He squints his eyes immediately from the sudden brightness, and instantly stretches his arms out from being awaken from his slumber. He mumbles a slight gasp when he feels his stretching fist hit something, and he instantly looks up to see what he hit.

Felix widens his eyes at the sight before him. There, right next to him, is a sleeping Changbin. Felix takes note about how the two of them are quite cramped together on the same bed, sharing the same blanket, and on the same pillow. Felix bit his lip to prevent him from yelping as his memory is a bit fuzzy from last night. He's ready to roll off the bed, away from Changbin, but he's prevented from doing that because Changbin supposedly had his arm locked tightly around Felix's waist through the whole night, and it's still there.

 _What the fuck was I thinking last night?!_ He probably thinks I'm weird now. Felix thinks to himself, catching up on the events from last night.

It all turns worse for Felix when Changbin decides to shift his position. He turns on his side, and holds Felix even tighter by the waist. A breath exhales through Changbin's nose, and Felix could technically feel the air hit his neck. Not to mention, Changbin's legs were now brushing against Felix's.

Felix takes a sharp breath as he takes his hands out of the blanket, and tries to unhook Changbin off his waist. Instead, he earns a groggy groan escaping Changbin's mouth, which basically means he's waking up.

 _God_ _no_ , _please_. Felix mentally cries when he turns his head towards Changbin—in which he instantly begins to regret. Changbin already woke up, and now their faces were even nearer, the tips of their noses barely touching, and gosh, Felix never felt so embarrassed.

Felix swore his heart beat rapidly increased. He could practically hear it through his own ears, and Changbin probably could too due to how close they were. The younger turns into a dark shade of red, and he doesn't fail into catching the small shade of red blushing into Changbin's cheeks too.

Felix feels worried of how fast and loud his heart is beating. He doesn't know why, but it just keeps getting faster. It's safe to say that Felix has turned into the darkest shade of red at this point.

He feels so embarrassed, but he's taken captive when he looks at Changbin at a closer angle. He couldn't deny that the man is devilishly handsome, despite his bed hair ruining his head. His eyes were small yet deep, it felt like Felix could fall into them forever. His small button nose too, that Felix is barely touching with his own. The little red blush creeping into his cheeks is what really made Felix think that _Changbin is cute._

It takes awhile for Felix to realize that he is indeed, staring. He feels extremely embarrassed at this point, and his first action without thinking is to just push him off the bed. He wants to get away from Changbin, before he embarrasses him even more. So he does what he wants by placing his palms on Changbin's chest, and uses all his strength to push the boy away from him.

Changbin basically flies off the bed from being pushed so dramatically by Felix. He lands on his butt with a loud thump, and Felix instantly stands upright on the bed to see if he's okay.

"I—uh, are you okay? I'm sorry, I just—"

"Man, you're wild," Changbin laughs, cutting him off. "I'm fine... it's funny actually. I didn't know you would react like that... you must be really embarrassed, then."

"Oh shut up," Felix retorts. "No, really though, I'm sorry. Are you okay?"

"Mm, my ass hurts now. Help me get up." Changbin says, stretching his arm out for Felix to help pull him up.

Felix nods as he attempts to get off the bed, and he's not really sure how, but he somehow trips on a blanket. The blanket is hugging his body and he accidentally trips over, and falls forward. Felix mentally curses as he shuts his eyes, expecting to hit the wood floor too— _this is karma._

Instead, his body just lands on top of Changbin, where he had fell. Felix instantly has his knees on either side of Changbin (which totally hurt like a bitch, considering his knees hit the wood floor), and is now hovering over the elder. Their clothed chests were breathing hard against one another, and Felix opens his eyes only to be peering down at Changbin. Not to mention, Changbin instantly grabs Felix's hips when he fell, to keep his balance.

Now, they were in the same position again. Not physically, but mentally and emotionally. Felix feels even more embarrassed than before, to now even be on top of Changbin and falling dramatically onto him.

As if things couldn't get any worse, Changbin's bedroom door just had to open. Some of the boys come in worriedly, only to have their eyes widened by the sight before them.

"Hey Changbin, we heard some loud thumps and wanted to see if you were oka—oh?" Chan comes in, and drops his jaw at the sight.

All the other boys drop their jaws too. Of course, their position looks really wrong, but they weren't doing anything bad.

"Are we disturbing something here?" Minho asks.

"Damn, lock the door next time. I don't wanna see anything x-rated," Seungmin laughs.

"No, i-it's not what you think!" Felix quickly exclaims, climbing off of Changbin. He stands up on his feet, waving his hands in a denial manner. "It was an accident, okay?! I just tripped and fell!"

Felix would be lying if he said he wasn't embarrassed and completely red. Today is definitely the worst day of his seventeen years of living.

"Yeah! He pushed me off the bed and accidentally fell on top of me, we didn't do anything else, I swear!" Changbin protests too, blushing a little.

"Bed? What? You both were sleeping on the same bed?" Woojin asks, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe?" Felix answers, and he instantly regrets it. He embarrasses himself even more now—he should just shut up and leave to his own room. "We didn't do anything! We just—slept togeth—oh gosh, how do I word this without it sounding weird?"

"Now that's a surprise," Hyunjin laughs. "Changbin hates everyone, I'm surprised he let you sleep with him."

"Well, you two lovebirds just keep doing whatever you want... we'll be having breakfast." Chan says, leaving the bedroom.

The rest of the boys follow after him, and shutting the door behind them. Once again, the two awkward boys are left staring at each other in silence.


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi i'm so sorry i haven't updated in 500 years i've been having writer's block but i'm gonna try updating weekly !! i promise y'all w soft changlix chapter again soon ;)
> 
> excuse any grammar errors

"Changbin! You took forever," Chan exclaims upon the sight of Changbin _finally_ exiting his bedroom to join the boys for breakfast.

"Yeah, I was showering," Changbin replies as he takes one of the two empty seats at the dining table. Not to mention, he took the one next to Felix. "Why? Is something going on?"

"We were thinking of raiding those Pentagon boys," Woojin answers, passing a plate of food towards Changbin.

"Who's Pentagon?" Felix asks, picking at his pancakes with a fork.

"Those boys that attacked our cabin a week or two ago," Hyunjin replies. "Don't you remember? It was your first or second day of being here."

"Oh," Felix nods, recalling the gruesome memories of the attack a few weeks ago. "Why? I thought we only raid if someone attacks us first."

"Well, before you came, they've been after us," Chan explains. "We think they're planning something on us, though. They've been silent for awhile."

"Probably cause Changbin blew up one of the guys' face," Minho laughs quietly.

"Well, that's not why we think so," Seungmin says. "I was just telling Chan that I went to town to buy some stuff for my grenades. Some guy was following me around, and the vibe I got was just... strange. It was really suspicious."

"Did you see his face?" Jisung asks.

"No. He had a hood on, and constantly looked down. I couldn't see his face." Seungmin explains. "I can only think of Pentagon being after us like that. They're our only enemy, as of now."

"Plus, it's not like we're attacking for no reason. We've had multiple occasions of them almost killing us." Woojin adds.

"So, what do you guys think? Are you up for it?" Chan asks.

All of the boys silently nod their heads in agreement.

"I'm glad you're all okay with it," Chan sighs in relief. "So, Felix, what do you think we should do? You're the Brain of the group, after all."

"Well," Felix exerts a sigh, placing his palms on the table, and going deep into his thoughts.

"Hey, wait," Changbin says suddenly, and grabbing one of Felix's hands. He looks at the game tattoo on his wrist before his eyebrows raise up in surprise. "Your points went up. Did you... kill someone?"

The boys' eyes widen at Changbin's words, and Felix seems quite surprised as well. He peers down at his wrist to see if it was true, and well, it was.

**DREAMWATCH**   
**2042925**   
**600**

"Um," Felix stutters, as he recalls that he did, in fact, pull out his gun and shoot a player a few days ago. "Yeah," Felix nods, his voice a bit hoarse. "It was when Jeongin got injured. I shot the player without thinking."

"Hey, you did the right thing," Changbin comforts, sensing the emotions from Felix. "You were just protecting him. It's okay to do things like this—and it shows you're not afraid anymore."

Felix nods and gives a small smile to Changbin as a thanks for his words. Under the table, Changbin slyly slips his hand within Felix's, giving him a small squeeze as comfort before letting him out of his grasp.

Felix tries not to smile at the action, but he can feel his face getting hot. It was a bit embarrassing, but Felix is quite shy when it comes to things like this.

"I want someone to look at me the way Changbin looks at Felix," Minho comments jokingly, smiling.

"What do you mean?" Changbin suddenly asks, raising his voice as all the boys burst into laughter.

"Nothing, nothing," Minho laughs.

"So, Felix, about that plan," Chan brings back the main topic. "Why don't you think about it for awhile and we'll talk about it at dinner?"

"Okay, that sounds good," Felix nods, feeling relieved that he has the whole day to plan something for the raid.

"Hey guys, the contestants for the colosseum this week are out," Hyunjin brings up, opening up the player's menu on his watch.

"Who's competing?" Jisung asks, as Hyunjin shows the boys his screen.

**! NEWS !**   
**— COLOSSEUM UPDATE: Who will be fighting in the colosseum this week?BAMBAM of GOT7 versus WONWOO of SEVENTEEN!Good luck to all the participants!**

"Bambam?" Felix questions, raising his eyebrows. "Wait... that's the guy I told you guys about. The one I joined this game with."

"You're in luck, Felix," Hyunjin says. "We're actually allies with Got7. Chan is friends with their leader in real life."

"Really?" Felix asks, surprised.

"Mhm," Chan nods. "We can go this week, if you went to meet him."

"If that's okay, then I'd like to," Felix replies.

Chan nods at him in agreement before talking, "Then, nose goes for the dishes."

Everyone rapidly places their fingers on their noses, before looking around and all eyes fall on Changbin.

"Why is it always me?!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i really wanna talk with y'all more so hmu on my twitter @skydaes !! thanks for dealing with my slow updates djsjsj


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> please excuse any grammar errors!!

"Felix, wanna come with me to town?" Changbin asks.

As of now, some of the boys are chilling on the couches while the others are in their rooms.

"Sure, I have nothing better to do anyways," Felix says jokingly, smiling at him. "What do you need to go for?"

"I need to buy bullets for my gun. I'm running low." Changbin answers.

"Okay, let's go then," Felix says as the two stand up from the couches, going to fetch their shoes from the door entrance. "Chan, we're gonna go to town."

"Okay," Chan looks up from his paper to the boys. "Be careful out there, okay?"

Felix and Changbin nod their heads as they leave the cabin, setting foot outside in the greenery. They begin following the gravel path that leads to town.

"So, have you thought of anything for our raid plan?" Changbin questions, placing his hands in his jean pockets. "I mean, you're expected to have one by dinner."

"No, not really," Felix goes in thought. "It should come to me naturally, but I haven't really gotten anything yet."

"That's okay. Don't feel pressured," Changbin says. "It takes time to come up with a well thought-out plan."

"Mhm," Felix nods in agreement. "Hopefully I'll come up with something soon."

The two continue to walk alongside each other to town, making small talk until they reach their destination.

"Is it your first time here?" Changbin asks.

Felix looks around, as the town is extremely crowded with stores and many players. If anything, it's similar to a flea market. He nods, following Changbin around to the gun shop.

"I need these types of bullets," Changbin mutters to himself as he wanders in one of the aisles, with Felix following him around silently while looking around, curiously. "Ah, here."

Felix follows him to the cash registers. There were no workers, but just the register itself, and many other players were crowding around the machines.

"It's easy to use these. You just scan the item, then scan your game tattoo, and your points will deduct themselves." Changbin explains, doing a demonstration by scanning the bullet pack and his tattoo. "Get it?"

"Yeah," Felix nods. He keeps looking around, as it's his first time here, and curious to how the town works. "Are we done?"

"Yeah, we can leave," Changbin replies as he turns toward the exit of the shop, but then gradually stops.

"What's wrong? Let's go." Felix furrows his eyebrows when he sees Changbin frozen, and his eyes widened.

Changbin suddenly grabs Felix's hand, and pulling him into one of the aisles harshly. They hide behind the shelves, and Changbin peeks out slyly.

"Hey! What's wrong?!" Felix exclaims, confused on why they're hiding.

"Be quiet," Changbin orders. "Do you see that tall guy? With black hair?" Changbin asks, pointing to a tall man at the registers, purchasing a gun. "He's apart of Pentagon."

Felix looks towards where he's pointing, and sure enough, he's able to recognize his face.

"What should we do? Follow him?" Changbin asks, keeping his eyes locked on the man, so that he doesn't lose him. "Felix, you're the Brain, think!"

"Do you think you have the strength to make him pass out?" Felix asks, as he suddenly comes up with an idea. "He's kind of tall and has a more masculine physique—compared to us."

"Of course I can, I mean, have _you seen these guns_?" Changbin jokes, referring to his muscles.

"Shut up," Felix jokingly slaps his shoulder. "I'm asking because you're a short ass, and he's tall."

"I mean, yeah, I can do it," Changbin nods. "Why? What's your plan?"

"I'll have to explain it later, it's too much for right now," Felix says as he sees the man leaving. "Let's follow him. Our main objective is to isolate him and pass him out."

"Okay," Changbin nods, understanding. "Let's go. Keep it lowkey."

The two boys follow the man out of the shop, blending in with the crowds in town. The tall man eventually makes a leave for the exit. Changbin and Felix hide behind a shop, and then slyly follow him out with quiet footsteps. They make sure to keep a distance.

No words are exchanged between the two boys, not wanting to blast their cover. They continue to follow the slender man, keeping a distance and themselves hidden behind trees and bushes.

Things were going well with keeping their identity hidden, but, well, Felix just _had_ to fuck things up, didn't he?

Felix's foot kicks into a rock, causing him to lose his balance and fall forward. He trips, shutting his eyes instantly in reflex, and having his hands grab for whatever support was nearby.

If it weren't for Changbin to be there and quickly grab onto Felix's waist, he probably would have fell with a loud thud and blow their cover. Oh, and, would have probably broke his nose.

Felix unconsciously let out a gasp through his long fall, but when he felt those arms lock around his waist and secure him in, he found it safe to open his eyes. There, right in front of him, was Changbin holding him tightly, and staring deep into his eyes with worry.

Felix could practically hear and feel his own heartbeat thump louder. The moment he locks eyes with Changbin is when his heart jacked up, beating more quicker than before.

_My heart is beating so fast, oh my God, he could probably hear it! He probably thinks I'm a weirdo—_

It would be dramatic for Felix to stay he felt trapped in the moment. The thought of him going after that Pentagon guy completely slipped out of his mind—the only thing he could truly focus on was how extremely handsome Changbin is close up, and the feeling of his arms hugging around his waist.

Felix stares intently into Changbin's face. His facial features are absolutely stunning. His eyes are dreamy, followed by long eyelashes—he feels like he can get lost in them. His nose is perfect too, a slight slope yet small nose. Felix's eyes land on his lips, and gosh, they're so pink and plump—it makes Felix think what they would feel like.

_Wait—_

Felix (gayly) panics when he realizes where he was looking—what he was _thinking_. He pushes Changbin away in instinct, looking away in shame and embarrassment. His cheeks flush red, and he honestly is so glad Changbin could not read minds.

Instantly, Changbin jumps on top of Felix, hovering over him as he lowly lays himself further down on him. He places a finger over his lips, telling him to _shh_ , and hides their bodies lowly on the grass behind a bush. Changbin tilts his head to the side. Felix looks over, and well, only cuss words ran through his head.

_Oh, fuck, fuck, fuck! Am I fucking stupid?_

Felix mentally sobs as he realizes how much of a loud commotion he's made. Due to him being so panicked when he fell, of course he had to gasp, and push Changbin away with a thud. Now, the situation they were put in made the tension worse.

The man they were following earlier is now searching around their area, suspicious of people being near. Not to mention, he has his gun on hand, and his eyes are like a hawk as he searches for the boys.

"Listen," Felix gulps, looking up at Changbin. Once again, their position is a bit wrong, but they're in hiding, so it's okay. Changbin is technically straddling Felix and lowering himself down so he can't be seen, and honestly, Felix tries to ignore that (even though he can't). "Don't kill him. We have to make him pass out. I have a plan, and it's not gonna work out unless we have him unconscious."

Changbin looks back before taking a breath and whispering back, "Okay. We'll try," Changbin takes another breath. "You have a plan?"

Felix goes in his thoughts for a few moments before his brain lit up, "Yes. I actually do."

"Well?"

"You stand up and get his attention. It may be really painful, and I apologize in advance, but... do you think you can let him beat you up?" Felix begins. "Because if he's occupied with you, I can just hit him hard on the head with my gun. He'll probably just knock out."

"Okay," Changbin nods, agreeing to their last minute plan. "Don't let me get killed, though."

Changbin stands up. He stares deeply at the tall man, before he recognizes Changbin, and glares back.

"Looking for me?" Changbin asks, raising an eyebrow. A chuck is heard as the other boy points his gun at Changbin.

Felix trusts Changbin. Of course, there is a slight unsettling feeling in the back of his mind, wondering if Changbin can really do this. Considering their massive height difference, he wasn't so sure. But, Felix knows Changbin is smart. He's the Calculator of the group—he's the most intelligent among them.

"Your gun doesn't scare me," Changbin says as he calmly walks toward the man, and grabs hold of the gun, swiftly knocking it out of his hands. "There's no bullets in it."

Felix would be one to ask _how did he know that?_ but once again, Changbin's game job gives him many capabilities.

As the other boy opens his mouth to speak, Changbin doesn't give any warning when he throws a fist rapidly at the man's face. A loud slap echoed, which really signifies how hard he got punched.

Felix peeks from the bushes as the other man holds his face high, spotting the blood tinting his mouth from Changbin's punch. Suddenly, he grabs Changbin by the throat (which seems to be relatively easy for him, considering their heights), and holds Changbin high. He pushes Changbin onto the trunk of a tree, holding his throat tightly.

"Don't underestimate me, you short ass," the boy groans, rolling his eyes. "You're from Stray Kids, aren't you? I know you are... you killed Changgu and Jinho. I won't let you off so easily."

The tall man now has his back turned on Felix; Felix thinks it's a good time to reveal himself, and attempt to knocking the boy out. With a deep breath, he reaches for the gun in the waistband of his jeans. He slowly pulls it out, having his gun in hand, and stands up. He makes a run for it as he glides toward the man, not hesitating for one moment as he swings the hardest, metallic part of his gun harshly on the back of his head. Felix repeats this action multiple times, crying internally because he hates injuring people, but it's what he had to do.

To their luck, the boy's grasp on Changbin's neck loosened up, and eventually his body fell unconsciously to the ground with a loud thump.

"Well," Felix sighs. "That was quicker than I thought it would be. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, but this bitch almost killed me," Changbin coughs. "Well, what should we do with him?"

"Take him back to our cabin."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i feel bad that i didn't update this in like a month so... expect an update tomorrow ;)


	14. Chapter 14

"So, remind me again, why is this dude is in our living room, unconscious, and tied to a chair?"

It hasn't been too long since Felix and Changbin returned from their little journey. Of course, they brought the boy with them too, and now, he was sitting on a chair with ropes tying his wrists and ankles to the wooden chair.

"Isn't this considered abduction? Kidnapping of some sort?" Hyunjin questions.

"Yes, I guess so," Felix sighs. "You're forgetting murder is a common thing here, too."

"Good point," Jisung nods. "So, Felix, please explain before we get any more confused."

"You all expected me to come up with a plan for our Pentagon raid by tonight," Felix begins. "Well, I got the job done a little early."

"Go on." Chan deadpans, intrigued by the topic.

"The reason why we knocked him out unconscious and brought him back is because I thought we could use him in some sort of way," Felix explains. "Of course, I don't want to torture him. I thought that we could... _threaten_ him? To get answers from him."

"Use him to find out where Pentagon is? And their plans?" Woojin asks, picking up on his ideas.

"Exactly. I was thinking we can use him to find out where their cabin is, and the structure of their cabin so we can properly plan the raid. We can also ask him other things according to our plan," Felix continues. "But that's just the beginning of it."

"What else you got?" Seungmin questions.

"It may seem a little crazy, but..." Felix gulps. "I was thinking one of us could pretend to be him," Felix says, continuing his explanation. "Like, one of us could wear his clothes, and act like we're him in order to get into their cabin. While the rest of us could slowly sneak in and attack them."

"That's a great idea, Felix," Chan nods. "My only concern is, if we want to do this, we have to act now. If this dude doesn't show up back home soon, his members will get suspicious and probably check his location."

"He's right," Hyunjin agrees. "I truly think it's a good plan, but... have you thought of who's going to imposter him?"

"You," Felix answers almost immediately. Hyunjin stares at him with wide eyes. "It only makes sense for you to do it. He's really tall, and you're the tallest among us. He has black hair, and you have black hair. You're our only shot."

"I applaud Felix, honestly," Changbin joins. "He's already really good at doing his job. I'm surprised he thought of all this under a minute back at town."

"You sound like a proud boyfriend," Minho snorts.

"We are not—"

"Where the hell am I?"

All sets of eyes go to where the unfamiliar voice came from. Soon enough, they come into realization that the boy had waken. The boy's eyes widen at the familiar sight of the boys, and instantly attempts to escape. The ropes prevent him from doing so.

"Don't even try. You can't leave," Changbin says seriously, crossing his arms. "Now, um, what's your name?"

"Hmph," the boy sneers with a laugh. "Giving my name to the enemy? As if."

"Hey," Changbin furrows his eyebrows, and walks in circles around the chair. "You're going to answer every question we ask," he continues, and slyly pulls out his gun. He has the point of the gun lay on the side of the boy's head. "Otherwise, I'll kill you."

Felix knew he said to _threaten_ him, but gosh, Changbin really does act like he'll actually kill him.

"Now tell me, what's your name?" Changbin asks as his finger lays on the trigger, pressing against it, resulting in the click of the gun.

"Wooseok," the boy answers, a small gulp going down his throat. "It's Wooseok."

Changbin looks at Felix, and tilts his head towards Wooseok. _Wait_ , _he wants me to ask the questions?!_ Felix swallows thickly as he didn't really want to be the one asking—he's not harsh enough.

"Felix," Changbin says in a monotone voice. "We don't have all day."

"O-Okay," Felix hesitates, taking note of that Changbin still has his gun pointing at his head.

"Wooseok, you're going to answer everything he asks," Changbin says, chucking his gun again. "Or you'll really die."

"Where's your cabin?" Felix asks immediately, getting to the point. "And don't even think about lying to me."

"It's on the south end of the main forest... next to the small river." Wooseok answers.

"Wrong," Changbin sighs. "I know your cabin is up north. When we were following you, you were going back home. You went north, so don't even lie to me."

Wooseok seems taken aback from his observation. With a sigh, he looks into Felix's eyes, "Yes, it's on the north end. Our cabin is hidden behind the super tall oak trees."

"Seungmin, write this down," Felix instructs, but Seungmin is already onto it.

Minutes pass as Felix continues to throw questions out at him to build a plan. Soon enough, he got all his answers.

"Knock him out unconscious. We have to discuss," Felix commands. "Please."

It doesn't take longer than a minute for Changbin to hit his head again with a gun, and knocking him out cold.

"Shouldn't we just... kill him here?" Minho asks. "I mean, he's going to die anyway... we're planning to kill his whole team."

"No," Woojin sighs. "If we kill him here, his teammates will get the notification and rush here. It's better to keep him here for the meanwhile."

"Wait, you gave me an idea," Felix snaps. "What if we lured his teammates in? Like what if we shot him in the middle of the jungle, and then his teammates would rush there for him? That would give us time to properly hide in their cabin, and once they come back, we raid."

"Wait, I have a better idea," Seungmin instantly says. "It's kind of like yours, but quicker and easier."

"Okay, go on." Chan nods.

"I've been working on a timed bomb. I haven't really tested it out yet, but I'm confident it works. I've been working on it for a really long time," Seungmin explains. "Let's remember Hyunjin is posing as Wooseok's imposter. Maybe we can make Hyunjin step out for a little bit? And when he does, we can shoot the real Wooseok. The Pentagon members will leave to go get him... and when the cabin is empty, I can set the bomb up. Hopefully it'll blow by the time they get back."

"What's the point of me being an imposter for him? I mean, we can just easily shoot him, and they'll all leave." Hyunjin asks.

"We just want you to double check it's actually their cabin," Changbin answers.

"It's a good idea," Chan nods. "But Seungmin... you know you're at a risk."

Felix furrows his eyebrows. "What do you mean he's at a risk?"

"I've never tested out the bomb before," Seungmin replies. "If I mess it up while setting it up, I can die. The game rules are simple. You can hurt yourself, but you can't hurt your teammates."

"I wouldn't want to have you at a risk, Seungmin," Felix says. "We can't lose another person... especially you."

"I think it's better if we carry out this plan," Seungmin sighs. "It's better to risk one person compared to eight."

Felix thinks about it logically, and well, it's true. He can't really let his emotions get the best of him here—it's better to lose one person than two.

"Okay," Felix nods. "I guess we'll do that then."


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's some seungmin/hyunjin action in here :)
> 
> also this chapter... prepare for a wild ride

"Is that the cabin?"

The eight boys were wandering around the forest, carrying around an unconscious body (Wooseok), and searching for the Pentagon cabin to pursue their plan.

"Yeah, it appears so," Woojin nods. "Let's go settle further away in the other trees."

The boys make their way towards another set of trees, hiding themselves well behind the thick bushes and tree trunks. They set their supplies down.

Hyunjin, who's posing as Wooseok's imposter, had traded clothes with Wooseok. He purposely styled his hair in a way to match Wooseok's, and pulls the hood over his head to cover his face.

"You remember the plan, right?" Jisung asks, setting some materials down.

"Yes," Hyunjin nods with a thumbs up.

"Okay," Seungmin nods. "Who's going to carry out the Wooseok plan?"

"Chan and I will do it," Changbin says, taking Wooseok's unconscious body from Minho's shoulder. "We're going to go farther down, so it gives Seungmin more time to set the bomb."

"Okay," Felix agrees. "Then, when Hyunjin leaves the cabin, we'll message you when it's appropriate to shoot him."

"We're gonna get going," Chan says as the two boys carry Wooseok together. "Hyunjin, you get going too. Be careful," Chan pauses. "And Seungmin... don't die."

Seungmin flashes him a reassuring smile as he watches the two boys walk away. He takes a breath before speaking, "Okay. Hyunjin, you get going."

Hyunjin isn't going to lie—he feels a little scared going in. Posing as someone you aren't is easier said than done.

Hyunjin nods as he perfects his hair once more, and pulling his hood one final time. He takes a sharp breath before saying bye to the members, and walking towards the cabin. He reaches the wooden door, twisting the knob. The door opens lightly, and he enters calmly before finding some boys sitting on the couches.

"Hey Wooseok!" Hui exclaims, looking up from a paper. "What took you so long?"

"Town was busy," Hyunjin answers slowly, swallowing thickly in nervousness. He closes the door behind him before taking a seat on one of the couches.

"Looks like you shrunk a few inches," Yanan jokes, punching his shoulder lightly. "It's almost like I'm the tallest now."

"Haha," Hyunjin laughs. He falsely places his hands in his pockets, pretending to be looking for something. "Oh shit. I think I dropped my bullets outside."

"Oh? Want to go look for it?" Hui offers. "Yuto can help you."

"No, it's okay," Hyunjin denies, standing up instantly. "It should be right outside. I just had them in my pockets. I'll be back."

Hui nods at him as he looks back at his paper. Hyunjin swiftly leaves the cabin, and makes a run towards where the other boys were hiding.

"Well, that was quick," Felix comments. "Woojin, hurry up and message Chan."

"Okay, okay," Woojin says as he opens up his player's menu, and quickly taps to message Chan. "Done."

"Was there even a point in me being an imposter for Wooseok? Why didn't we just shoot him in the first place and bomb it?" Hyunjin asks.

"Because, we had to double check if this was really Pentagon's cabin," Seungmin rolls his eyes. "Ooh, look guys, they're leaving."

"Oh, they shot him." Woojin updates, typing on his chat with Chan.

"There should be seven of them," Minho says as all six of the boys peek from the bushes. "They seem super worried."

"Chan just messaged me they're going back to the cabin now," Woojin says. "We'll have to meet them back there."

"Six, seven," Felix counts under his breath. "Okay, Seungmin, go. They're all gone. Hyunjin, go with him just in case."

"Don't die on us, Seungmin," Woojin says. "We're expecting you to come back... and just know I love you. _We_ love you."

Seungmin flashes him a smile, "If I don't make it back alive," Seungmin pauses, a more _sad_ smile appearing. "Just know that I believe in all of you. You'll make it back to the real world," He takes a breath. "And that I love you all just as much."

Felix smiles at him, "Go, Seungmin. And make sure to come back."

The two boys nod. Seungmin grabs the case with his bomb inside, and makes a run with Hyunjin behind. They enter the now empty cabin.

"I'm going to set it under the sofa," Seungmin says as he opens the case, and grabs his hand-crafted bomb. He sits down on the wooden floor, placing the bomb gently down with him. His hands begin to work with the wires delicately. "Hyunjin, be on the lookout."

"Please be careful, Seungmin," Hyunjin exerts a stressed sigh. "One slight slip, and it's over for you."

Seungmin stops his hands and looks at Hyunjin with a warm smile. "It's okay. Trust me."

Hyunjin smiles back, but the knot in the back of his throat just doesn't seem to leave. He's stressed—worried for Seungmin. Of course, the bomb wouldn't affect Hyunjin himself because he is a teammate, but he knows it would result in his teammate's death. He bites his lip in frustration, not knowing what he's going to do is something he'll regret later—but he's willing to risk it.

Suddenly, Hyunjin drops to the floor next to Seungmin. Seungmin gets a bit surprised, disconnecting his fingers from the wires as he turns his head towards Hyunjin. He opens his mouth to speak, but Hyunjin quickly grabs both sides of his face with his hands, and closes the gap between them.

Hyunjin connects his lips with Seungmin's, kissing him softly yet passionately. Seungmin's eyes widen from the sudden contact, but refuses to move away. Instead, he lets his fingers detach themselves from the bomb completely, and let them tangle themselves in Hyunjin's hair. He pulls him closer, fluttering his eyes shut as he deepens the kiss.

Hyunjin is the first one to break the kiss, pulling away slightly, and parting his lips for air. He opens his eyes, looking into Seungmin's sharp glare.

"I'm sorry," Hyunjin apologizes, looking down as he takes his palms away from Seungmin's face. "It's just," He takes a breath. "If I were to lose you... I would want my feelings to get conveyed."

"Hey," Seungmin says softly, taking Hyunjin's hands within his. "I'm glad you did," He squeezes his hand, and looks back into Hyunjin's eyes. "Because I feel the same way too."

Hyunjin smiles widely at him, before stealing Seungmin's lips one more time with a small peck.

"You should get back to work," Hyunjin says quickly, letting go of Seungmin and standing up. "Before they come back."

Seungmin nods as he turns his head back to his crafted object, and his fingers begin to work on the bomb once more. His fingers tangle themselves in the wires, setting it up carefully. Suddenly, the timer appears on the small screen of the bomb for thirty minutes.

"Hyunjin!" Seungmin exclaims. "I did it!"

"Oh my gosh," Hyunjin sighs in relief. "Hurry, hide it. We have to leave as soon as possible."

Seungmin agrees once more as he carefully grabs the bomb, and scoots it under the couch. He stands up, and signaling that they should get going. They exit the cabin, and quickly make way to where the other boys were hiding.

"Seungmin!" Jisung exclaims. "Did you make it?"

"Mhm," Seungmin nods with a smile. "It's a timer for thirty minutes. We should get going."

"Okay, but we have to be careful," Minho notes. "We may run into them on our way back."

The boys nod to one another as they grab their supplies, and begin to make their way back to their own cabin.

—

"He's gone."

The Pentagon boys look down at Wooseok's lifeless body. Multiple bullets had pierced his flesh, mostly taking a blow in his stomach. His whole body is surrounded in his own blood, and his eyes are still open.

Wooseok's body was killed in the middle of the forest, and all of the members are crowding him. Their leader, Hui, takes a breath as he closes Wooseok's eyelids. Sniffs are heard from the boys, and some of them tear up.

"Who could do such a thing?" Yanan sighs. "Only if someone went with him..."

"Remember when Wooseok came home earlier?" Hyojong questions. "That wasn't him."

"What do you mean?" Yuto asks.

"Look at his clothes. They're different from when he came back," Hyojong answers. "I think... someone pretended to be him."

"I think so too," Yanan nods. "He... kind of seemed shorter."

"The only team I can think of is Stray Kids," Hui sighs. "They're the only rivalry we have... but why? What was their point?"

"Wait," Hyojong signals, shushing everyone. He looks in the bushes, and soon enough, they can hear some rustling and slight whispering. "Who's there?"

Hyojong doesn't hesitate as he whips out the gun in his jeans. He points the gun at the bushes.

Behind the bushes, well, are Stray Kids themselves. All of them, excluding Chan and Changbin, were running back home until they saw Pentagon on their same path. Now, they were stuck hiding behind bushes to prevent getting their identify known, but—it didn't really work out.

"Now what? Do we just run?" Hyunjin mouths to the boys.

Felix thinks hard, and well, his brain refuses to function. The only idea he manages to think of is to simply make a run for it.

"Yeah," Felix nods and speaks lightly. "Just... run. Don't look back."

The six boys look between each other and nod. Deep breaths are taken as they slowly raise their bodies, and let their legs do all the work. They follow Felix's instructions, and sprinting as fast as they possibly can to get away from Pentagon.

"It's them! Hyojong, get them!"

Gunshots are heard, echoing through the air as Hyojong presses the trigger multiple times. They don't run after the boys, but simply shoot after them.

A few minutes pass by, and the boys eventually stop running. They look back, and see that their enemies are out of distance.

"I think we're safe. We got pretty far," Seungmin pants, placing his hands on his knees. "You guys okay?"

Felix is the last one to arrive to the group, panting heavily. Woojin is the first one to notice the heavy tears taking Felix's eyes.

"Felix? Are you okay?" Woojin asks, placing a hand on his shoulder. Instantly, his palm feels extremely... wet. He retracts his arm to look at his palm, and widens his eyes at the fresh crimson blood painting his skin.

"It hurts so bad, Woojin," Felix almost cries out the words, falling on his knees. Tears of pain roll off of his cheeks. "It hurts so much, please, make it stop!"

"Woojin," Minho calls, opening his player's menu. He displays the screen to all the boys. "Look."

**FELIX HAS BEEN INJURED.**   
**CHECK LOCATION**

"We need to get him back, now!" Woojin yells, looking at the big gunshot wound piercing the back of Felix's shoulder. "Minho, help me carry him back. We can't let him lose anymore blood."

"It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!" Felix cries. He couldn't be blamed to be crying like a child—for hell's sake, he's only seventeen, and got shot in the back of his shoulder. Of course it'll hurt.

"Don't worry Felix," Jisung comforts, helping Felix prop himself in between Minho and Woojin. Felix has his arms around their necks, and walking with the help of their bodies. "You're going to get back home, and Woojin will help you. You're going to make it. Don't close your eyes, you'll be fine."

_Am I going to die? Will I ever be able to see my parents again? Am I going to even make it back? It hurts so much, I can't—_

"Felix! Stay with us, don't give up on me!" Hyunjin exclaims.

As much as Felix fights to stay awake, his conscious is slowly wiping out. Perhaps it's due to the lack of blood he's losing. His vision is going blurry, and slowly turning into mixes of black.

Felix can hear the screams of his teammates yelling his name, but it's drowning out. He's losing his conscious, and as much as he fights against it, he eventually lets himself go, letting an endless black oblivion welcome him.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a softer chapter as promised :)

Felix opens his eyes slowly, batting his eyes a few times before letting his vision clear up. After a few moments of awakening, he looks around and realizes he's in a familiar setting.

He's sitting in a big bed, having two white sheets cover his body. His back is propped up against two pillows, sitting back with his head resting on the headboard. He knows for sure he's in a bedroom—but it wasn't his. It's a spacious one; a bedroom he's been in before.

Felix doesn't fail to take note of the burning pain sinking in the back of his right shoulder. It pains him so bad, and it takes him a slow minute or two for him to recall the memories of earlier. He remembers his team running away from Pentagon, however, he got shot, and passed out. Now, he's resting in a bed.

"Hey," a soft voice calls from next to him. Felix inhales sharply as he feels a hand rest on the top of his head, ruffling his hair gently. He looks over, realizing that another body was laying next to him. "You okay?"

"Changbin?" Felix questions, realizing that Changbin has been laying next to him this whole time. He has a book in his hand, meaning that he's been reading. "Isn't this your room? Why am I here?"

Changbin chuckles before replying, "When the boys brought you home, Woojin was quick to tend your wounds. He said that you shouldn't sleep alone, and have someone watch over you for the next week or two... so here I am."

"You don't have to do that Changbin," Felix says before attempting to slowly get up from the bed. He instantly regrets his action, as his shoulder begins to graze in even more pain than before. His vision blurs a little too, feeling a bit dizzy. "Ah!"

"Hey, hey, slow down," Changbin quickly says, gently placing his hands on Felix's uninjured shoulder, and pushing him back down to lay down. "You need to rest. That bullet went really deep."

"I'm sorry," Felix sighs. "I didn't mean for it to come out like this... and I especially don't want to waste your time by taking care of me. I'm really sorry."

"Hey, don't apologize. Accidents like these can happen," Changbin comforts. "And... I really don't mind. We're teammates— _friends_ —so I'll always look after you. That's what a friend does."

Felix feels his cheeks flush, and he's thankful that it's already nighttime. Otherwise, Changbin would've probably saw how red he is. There's only a lamp on in the bedroom, but he's glad it's only a little bit of light.

"Oh gosh, it's already nighttime? How long was I out?" Felix asks, looking out the small window planted in Changbin's bedroom walls. The skies were practically black.

"Yeah. You were out for a few hours," Changbin nods. "But that's okay, you need all the rest you can get."

"You were up waiting for me?" Felix raises his eyebrows.

"Maybe...?" Changbin says softly, blushing a little. Now, he's thankful for only a little bit of light in the room. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay when you woke up."

Felix widens his eyes a little, turning even more red. He's extremely shy when it comes to times like these with Changbin. His stomach always drowns in butterflies when Changbin says something to him, makes physical contact with him, or heck, when he even _looks_ at him. There's so many things Changbin can do, and it'll never fail to make Felix's heart flutter.

"That's... that's really kind of you. Thank you," Felix smiles and speaks softly, looking down in embarrassment.

"Yeah," Changbin replies quietly, nodding and smiling back at him.

"If it's not too much to ask... can you walk me to the bathroom?" Felix asks, as he has been passed out for half the day.

"Oh, yeah. Here, hold my hand." Changbin offers.

Changbin quickly gets up from his side to the bed, and walks over to Felix. He helps Felix sit upright, and has his feet reach the floor. Changbin stretches his arm, opening his hands for Felix to grab onto. The younger boy grabs onto one of his hands with his baby ones, and links their arms for support. Changbin begins to walk him to the bathroom that is located in the bedroom.

Felix feels a little dizzy everytime he makes sudden movements, or basically when he walks—probably due to the insane amount of blood he lost earlier.

"Be careful," Changbin says as he walks Felix inside the bathroom, and guides him to the toilet. "I'll be right outside the door. Call my name if you need help."

Felix nods with a slight hum as Changbin makes sure to turn on the light switch before exiting the restroom. He closes the door behind him, leaving Felix to himself.

The younger boy exerts a somewhat stressed sigh as he begins to proceed in doing his own personal business. His thoughts wonder elsewhere as he does so.

_Why does my heart beat so fast around him? Why am I always so flustered around him? Why does he make me so shy? It's not that I have a crush on him..._

Felix processes his own thoughts before shaking his head dramatically, and slaps his face once or twice.

_Crush?! Why would I ever think I would have a crush on him?! He's a boy, I'm a boy—_

"Felix?" Changbin suddenly calls from the door, knocking on it gently. "Are you okay? It's been a few minutes."

"Yeah!" Felix panics, quickly flushing the toilet and properly pulling his basketball shorts back on. "I'm done."

Changbin opens the door and rushes to Felix, and grabbing him by the hips to secure his balance. Changbin can't even imagine how dizzy Felix must be. The elder boy guides him to the sink, allowing him to wash his hands. After he's done, Changbin links their hands and arms together once more, and guiding him back to the bed.

Felix is too dizzy to even realize how hard he's holding onto Changbin, and how Changbin is holding onto him, but if he did, he probably would have had a whole panic attack.

"Here, sit down," Changbin instructs, helping Felix sit down on the bed. He has his feet touch the floor, allowing him to sit upright on the mattress. "I figured you'd feel a bit dirty after everything that happened today, so I brought a washcloth and a bucket of warm water. I'll just give you a quick rinse, and you'll probably sleep better too."

"No, really Changbin, it's okay—"

"Shh," Changbin places a finger on Felix's lips. "I really don't mind—I'm just doing my duty as your... _friend_."

_Oh gosh, why does he have to be so nice—_

"How are we gonna get this shirt off you?" Changbin asks, referring to the gray tee Felix is wearing. "I mean, it'll probably hurt to put your arms up."

"Just suck it up, I guess?" Felix says, mentally shrugging as he really can't shrug physically.

"Are you sure? I think it'll hurt a lot," Changbin raises an eyebrow. "We can figure something else out—"

"No, it'll be quicker if you just pull it off," Felix cuts him off. "Just, um, be fast."

Changbin nods as Felix takes a sharp breath, knowing that pain is coming for him. He slowly places his arms up, already feeling the pain the moment his muscles tract up. Changbin thankfully is quick and gentle by pulling the tee off his body, and letting his arms relax.

Felix feels his face flush into multiple shades of reds and pinks. He feels so embarrassed, considering he is half naked in front of someone he may or may not have feelings for.

"Oh gosh, that hurt like a bitch," Felix sighs, as the pain burns his shoulder once more. "By the way, did our plan work?"

"Yeah. The bomb went off just in time," Changbin nods as he turns on another lamp, letting more light come in. He makes Felix sit more upright. "Seungmin's points went up by a lot, so that's how we know it worked. Since he was the one that set the bomb."

"That's good, I guess," Felix replies.

Felix watches Changbin drown the washcloth into the bucket of lukewarm water. He then twists it, allowing all the excess water to escape. He starts to pat the damp towel on Felix's bare chest, starting at his left shoulder.

Felix swallows nervously as he feels Changbin move the towel across his body. He moves the washcloth along his collarbones, and is careful when patting his right shoulder. Felix notices that Woojin had patched up his wound properly.

It would feel nice due to the fact that a warm towel is being pressed against his bare skin, but Felix can't seem to really enjoy it—he's focusing on Changbin. His nervousness grows by the second as Changbin eventually goes more south, reaching his stomach.

Felix stares at Changbin's face, realizing how close they really are.

"You're not uncomfortable, are you?" Changbin asks, noticing the somewhat strange look on Felix's face. "Do you... do you want me to stop?"

_No, no, no! Felix, you stupid idiot! He probably thinks you're weird now with that stupid ass look on your retarded clown ass face—_

"Felix?"

"Huh?" Felix snaps out of his thoughts at the call of his name. "What?"

"You look uncomfortable. Do you want me to stop?" Changbin repeats.

"No, no, it's not that," Felix denies. "Sorry, I was just zoning out."

Changbin presses his lips into a flat line as he nods. He continues to press the damp cloth against Felix's bare chest.

_Great, now you made the atmosphere awkward! Honestly Felix, how dumb can you get?_

Felix mentally thanks all the gods as Changbin climbs onto the bed, and reverts to pressing the washcloth onto his back. He's thankful that they're not in close contact anymore—face to face.

_Wait, why am I worried about all of this in the first place? Why am I so worried of what he thinks about me? Felix, you're really acting like he's some high school crush—_

"Felix?"

Felix snaps out of it as he hears Changbin call his name for the umpteenth time that day.

"What?" Felix asks.

"You seem to be zoning out a lot. Are you tired?" Changbin worriedly questions. "I think you should get more rest. Everything recovers more with rest."

"Yeah, just been through a lot today," Felix agrees. He grabs his gray tee, reverting it back to the original way, as it was inside-out. "I think I should go back and sleep in my own room, I wouldn't want to make you uncomfortable in your own bed—"

"How many times do I need to tell you it's okay and that I don't mind?" Changbin cuts him off. "Seriously Felix, I'm taking care of you because I want to. No more talking to me about this stuff, just close your mouth and go to sleep."

Felix widens his eyes as he watches Changbin go to the bathroom sink to empty the bucket of water. He comes back, and opens his wooden wardrobe to grab a shirt.

"Don't wear that t-shirt. It'll be hard for you to put on and harder to take off. Wear this instead," Changbin says, showing a navy blue buttoned shirt. It wasn't a pullover, as you would simply put it on like a jacket and button up. "It'll be easier to wear this."

Felix doesn't reply as he simply nods, giving in to Changbin. Changbin places the shirt behind Felix, stretching it, and signals for Felix to put his arms in. Felix obeys, gently placing his arms through the sleeves and having Changbin pull it closer on his body. His fingers begin to button up the shirt for Felix, and having his knuckles slightly brush against his small tummy.

"Hey," Felix laughs. "I'm sensitive there!"

"You're ticklish?" Changbin asks, a bit surprised. "You don't seem like the type."

"Well I am, so stop poking me there before I actually combust in laughter," Felix replies between laughs and giggles.

Changbin chuckles at Felix's childish behavior—not that he's complaining. He loves looking at Felix's smile, especially when he's about to burst into a fit of laughter. He thinks it's rather cute.

"Ah, that's right," Changbin says, suddenly remembering something. "Woojin told me to give you these painkillers before you go back to sleep. They're in the kitchen, I'll be right back."

Felix smiles gently at him, watching him leave the bedroom. Felix is extremely fond of Changbin at this point—having his stomach flutter and drown in butterflies every time Changbin does a small action towards him. He doesn't even realize it, but he's blushing at the thought of him. His cheeks heat up, smiling widely when he recalls the sweet actions Changbin did for him a few moments ago.

_Is it really okay for boys to like boys?_

"Okay, okay! Hurry and take these so we can sleep, I'm tired," Changbin comes in, a pill in his palm along with a glass of water. "Here."

The elder hands the younger the items, watching him drown the pill with water in his throat. He places the glass on the bedside table.

"Thanks Changbin," Felix speaks softly as Changbin helps him get settled back into bed. "Not just for this, but everything. I don't really know what else to say other than thanks... so thanks for taking care of me."

"Of course," Changbin smiles, positioning Felix so that he doesn't hurt his shoulder while he sleeps. Changbin himself gets fixated into bed next to Felix, and turns the lamp off next to him. "And um, if anything happens, just wake me up. If your shoulder hurts, or if you need to use the bathroom—"

"Hey," Felix places a hand reassuringly on Changbin's bicep. "It's okay. Thank you."

Changbin laughs, "Alright. Good night."

"Good night." Felix says.

After saying good night to one another, Changbin faces the other side, and not facing Felix. Long minutes pass by as there's nothing but silence between them, and Felix is sure that Changbin has passed out into his slumber by now.

"Changbin, are you awake?" Felix calls out, looking over. Changbin certainly is awake, and opens his mouth to reply, but Felix continues talking. "Then... it's better if I tell you like this."

Changbin mentally furrows his eyebrows at Felix's words, but has his eyes shut to hear what he has to say.

"Actually... nevermind."

_Boys can't like boys._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> character development amirite? well anyway, i just wanted to say thanks to all of you who have been supporting and reading this book. you all have been super patient with my updates & i genuinely appreciate it; you guys are really the best readers!! i read every single comment and it really makes my day!! a few of you reached out to me on twitter and i really enjoy talking to you guys :) please don't be shy to talk with me because i'm sure we'll get along great!! in conclusion, thank you all for reading and expect an update soon!


	17. Chapter 17

"What the hell is wrong with you two?"

Woojin speaks up in the midst of breakfast. The eight boys are eating at the dining table in silence, meanwhile Woojin has his eyes locked on Seungmin and Hyunjin.

"W-What?" Hyunjin asks, his voice shaking nervously.

"You both are acting weird," Woojin replies, applying butter to his toast with a plastic knife. "Did something happen between you two?"

"No, what makes you think that—"

"Okay," Seungmin sighs loudly, cutting Hyunjin off. "We have something to say."

"Okay," Chan nods, confusion written all the over boys' faces. "What is it?"

"We're dating."

Instantly, Felix drops his jaw open. He raises his eyebrows, surprise and shock washing over his face. The other five boys were also a bit shocked, but not as amused as Felix was.

"Ha! I knew it all along you both liked each other! Alright Jisung, now you owe me that ice cream!" Minho shouts across the table.

"What? You guys placed a bet over this?!" Hyunjin exclaims.

"Maybe," Jisung laughs. "Okay, Minho. I'll buy it for you later."

"Well, good for you guys then," Changbin says, not seeming very surprised, as he continues eating his food. "I'm happy for you guys."

Felix _still_ has his jaw dropped from the news. It surprises him even more when the other boys don't seem too bothered by it, and instead they're leaving encouraging words. Of course, Felix has nothing against the whole idea of different sexual orientations, but he's never been exposed to the whole topic. That's probably why he felt weird when he realized he had feelings for someone of the same gender.

In a way, the news actually makes him think it's okay for boys to like boys. _It's okay if I like Changbin?_

"What? You guys... don't hate us?" Seungmin asks, also surprised from the positive reaction they got.

"No, of course not," Chan instantly shakes his head. "Love is love. I would never judge you based off your sexual orientation."

"He's right," Jisung smiles. "We're glad you told us. We're all so accepting of each other, what makes you think we could hate you based off who you love?"

Hyunjin smiles at his members' words, and instantly looks at his younger boyfriend. He intertwines their fingers, flushing red at him.

"Congratulations, I'm happy for you guys." Felix says, smiling awkwardly. After all, he didn't want to be the only one who didn't say anything encouraging.

"Thanks guys," Hyunjin says softly. "We're appreciative of how much you guys support us."

"Of course," Chan smiles. "So, uh, Felix," Chan turns his head toward the younger. "Today is the colosseum battle with your friend, Bambam. But I don't think you should go."

Felix bites his lip, nodding. Of course he can't go, considering he got shot in the back of his shoulder. He can barely walk without getting dizzy, and his shoulder burning in pain.

"I can go though, you know, to tell you the results of the whole battle," Chan offers. "Plus I would like to see my friend, Jaebum. It's been a long time since the last time I saw him."

"Well I mean, if you really want to, then go for it." Felix answers.

"Sure. I'll get going, then," Chan nods, bringing his dirty dish to the sink. "Minho, Jisung, do you wanna come with me?"

"Sure, we'll go," Minho agrees, also putting their dishes into the sink. "See you guys later."

"Bye, stay safe," Woojin waves, watching the boys leave the cabin. "Felix, why don't you go sit on one of the couches? I'm going to change the dressing for your wound." Woojin speaks as he runs to the cabinet to get the first-aid kit.

"Okay," Felix nods. He looks at Changbin, eyeing him. "Can you help me walk?"

"Yeah, yeah, one sec," Changbin nods as he wipes his mouth with a napkin, and placing it on his plate. He stands up, and extends his arms for Felix to grab onto. He helps him stand up, and rounds him to the couches. "Sit."

Changbin sits in front of Felix, helping him unbutton the shirt he gave last night. He takes it off, leaving him bare chested once more.

"Okay, let's see," Woojin comes around, opening the first aid. He pulls on some latex gloves as he begins to take the dressing off the wound. "It's gonna hurt."

"Ow ow ow ow ow!" Felix practically screams when Woojin begins to peel the gauze pad off. "OW!"

Changbin looks at Felix, and grabs his hands. Felix instantly squeezes Changbin's hands in reflex, due to how much pain that's burning in his shoulder. If Changbin didn't grab onto Felix, he probably would've hit Woojin away.

"Almost done," Woojin says, cleaning up his wound, and reapplying some new gauze. He applies a gauze pad, taping the medical supplies to his shoulder. "Okay, all done."

"How long is it going to take for me to recover?" Felix asks.

"Mm, the wound itself could possibly take a month or two," Woojin replies, pulling the gloves off. "The pain shouldn't be as bad within a week. You'll feel better in a few weeks."

"Just get a lot of rest. It's the best medicine," Changbin joins. "And make sure to take those painkillers daily."

Felix nods as he looks down in his lap. Actually, he didn't even realize that Changbin is holding his hands, and Felix himself didn't realize how hard he's squeezing onto them.

"Oh my God, I'm sorry!" Felix panics, instantly letting his grasp go. "Was I hurting you or something? My nails probably scratched your skin off."

"No," Changbin laughs, looking at his hands. He clears his throat before speaking again. "I actually kind of liked it."

Felix turns red at Changbin's words, looking away. He playfully hits his shoulder, making both boys erupt in laughter.

"Okay, okay, I was kidding," Changbin says in the midst of his giggles. The elder pulls Felix's shirt back on, buttoning it up for him again. "I mean, I wasn't kidding, but you know what I mean."

"What, don't tell me you guys are a thing too, now?!" Woojin asks from the kitchen, shoving the first aid kit in the cabinets.

"What?! No!" Felix instantly replies in a loud tone. "What makes you think that?! I-I _hate_ Changbin!"

"Are you sure about that, Felix? What we did last night doesn't seem like you hate m—"

"Last night?! We didn't do anything last night, thank you very much!" Felix yells at Changbin, cutting him off. "Gosh, Changbin, always the first to start rumors."

"If you say so," Changbin shrugs with a laugh. "I'm gonna go read in my room. Felix, wanna come?"

"No, I'm okay. I think I'll just sit out here for a little." Felix answers.

Changbin nods as Felix watches him walk away. Changbin goes to the hallway and enters his bedroom, shutting the door behind him.

"So?" Woojin comes around, sitting on the sofa next to Felix.

"So what?" Felix asks, raising an eyebrow.

"So, you like Changbin, don't you?" Woojin whispers, keeping his voice low, making sure that no one else in the cabin can hear.

Felix turns slightly red at hearing the words come out of Woojin's mouth. _How did he know?_

"A-And if I do?" Felix replies, his voice soft and quiet.

"You know Felix, it's so obvious," Woojin laughs. "You always turn red around him, and you get flustered. It's cute, really."

"Really? I'm that obvious?" Felix asks, surprised.

"It's not bad," Woojin says. "Rather, I'm surprised you haven't confessed to Changbin yet. He seems to have taken a really big liking to you."

"What?!" Felix screams. He realizes how loud he is before continuing. "I mean, what?! What makes you think that?!"

"Oh come on, Felix. You're so clueless," Woojin mentally facepalms. "Do you not see the way he looks at you? The things he does for you? From my perspective, he's actually _crazy_ for you," Woojin explains. "Truthfully, I've known this guy for the longest time, and I've never seen him be so kind to someone."

"What do you mean?" Felix asks.

"Before you came, Changbin was kind of closet-minded. He was really nice, but he was also the quiet type. He really cares for us, but he never knew how to express it that well," Woojin answers. "Ever since you came, he's interacted with us more, and he's been doing everything he can for you. He's joked around with us more, and that's something. You really brought his fun persona out."

"You really think... he likes me?" Felix asks, dumbfounded.

"Yesterday, when you came home passed out, Changbin yelled at us like crazy," Woojin sighs. "He got really mad, and even said that we need to be more careful. He really shouted at us, it's scary when he's mad like that."

Felix widens his eyes at that—he never expected that.

"It's just that... isn't it a bit strange? A man to like a man?" Felix asks. "I have nothing against it, but it's just strange when it's concerning about yourself. And like... I'm not gay. I don't like men like that, but it's just different with Changbin, I don't know."

"Don't deny the feelings you have for someone," Woojin says. "Once you catch them, it's hard to actually let them go."

"But still, the feeling is just... weird."

"Does gender truly matter when it comes to love?" Woojin brings up. "In reality, it's society that made us think that it's strange for same-sex relationships to take place. There's no real rule of who you should love. So, don't be afraid of who you catch feelings for."

Felix takes his words into consideration, and doesn't deny the fact that his words are true.

"You're right," Felix nods. "Thanks, Woojin. I really appreciate it."

"Now, are you gonna finally confess to the love of your life?" Woojin smiles.

"I'll think about it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi fhis was a boring chapter but i promise y'all are gonna like the next one


	18. Chapter 18

Changbin and Felix are sitting on the bed together in Changbin's bedroom. Felix is laying down on one side, meanwhile Changbin is sitting upright next to him with a book in hand. It's currently nighttime, and the lamp sitting on the bedside table is their only source of light.

"How come you're always reading?" Felix asks.

"Hm, it's the only entertaining thing to do here," Changbin hums in response. "It's kind of like an escape from the real world, you know? Books make me forget that I'm living in such a terrible reality right now."

"You don't seem like the reading type." Felix laughs.

"I'm not," Changbin replies. "It's actually a hobby I picked up from being here for so long. I have nothing better to do."

"I guess that's true, considering there's not that much technology available here," Felix nods. "How long have you been here?"

"The game? Hm, I would say... two years?" Changbin answers.

"Two years?!" Felix nearly chokes. "That's so long! I would've died from absolute boredom."

"You get used to it," Changbin sighs. "I forgot what my life was like back in the real world. Don't you ever wonder what's happening back there?"

"Everyday," Felix agrees. "I often think, what are our bodies doing in the real world if we're here? What are our families doing? Stuff like that."

"If I'm speaking honestly, I don't think there's a way out of this game," Changbin says. "I would've figured it out by now. Two years later, why am I still here?"

"Do you miss your family?" Felix asks.

Changbin's lips press into a flat line, staying silent for a few moments. His eyes wander from his book to the floor.

"I'm sorry, that's personal. You don't have to answer that," Felix quickly says from Changbin's reaction. "Sorry."

"No, it's okay," Changbin closes his book, placing it on the bedside table. "I don't really have a good relationship with my parents, that's all. I wouldn't say I hate them, but I don't have any sort of liking towards them," Changbin explains. "What about you? Do you miss your family?"

"I've always lived with my mom, I don't have any other family," Felix answers. "Which kind of worries me, because if I'm not there in the real world, she's alone."

"Hey," Changbin softly says, looking at Felix lovingly. "You're gonna see her again. I've been figuring this game out for the past two years, and I'll get you back."

"Thanks Changbin," Felix smiles, making eye contact with the elder. His cheeks flush red.

"Anyways, I thought you were asleep this whole time," Changbin comments, breaking their eye contact. "Was this lamp keeping you up? Should I turn it off?"

"No, I just can't sleep. Too much on my mind," Felix sighs.

"Oh, really? Like what?" Changbin asks. "You can talk to me about anything."

"Just... _stuff_." Felix says in a monotone voice.

_What am I supposed to say? Seo Changbin, I have the biggest crush on you! Hell no, that's embarrassing._

"If you say so," Changbin nods, not wanting to invade his personal privacy. He turns off the lamp next to him. The bedroom wasn't too dark, it's dimly lit due to the moonlight coming in. "Well, I'm sleeping now too. Good night."

"Night." Felix whispers, watching Changbin get fixated under the covers. He faces the wall again, thankfully not facing Felix.

Felix stares at the ceiling for some moments, letting his thoughts wander. _Oh gosh, I want to tell him so bad! But how? How do you freaking confess to someone? On top of that, how do you confess to another boy?_

"Changbin." Felix announces, waiting for a reply.

No response. Just silence— _he's sleeping._

"Truthfully, I don't know how to do this, I've never done this before," Felix says. "It's still considered a confession, even if you're sleeping, right? Because I'm still technically telling you."

Felix takes a deep breath, his nervousness settling in. _Just say what's on your mind Felix, he's sleeping! He won't know anything_!

"I don't know when it happened, I don't know how it happened," Felix sighs. "But I like you, Seo Changbin. I like you so much, and it's so hard," Felix nearly whispers. "I know that you're a man, and I'm a man, but I can't stop it. I'm not gay, I'm not attracted to men, but—I'm attracted to you, and only you."

Felix's breath shakes as he continues to spit out words that come to his mind. He's regretting it, honestly.

"I never realized these feelings in the beginning, but they've always been there. You've always made my heart pound so hard, make me so nervous with butterflies, and everything you do wrecks me," Felix confesses. "I like you so much, Seo Changbin. You make me feel so safe and cared for all the time. I like you."

Felix stays quiet, not wanting to say anything more. In a way, saying those words make him feel like a huge weight has been lifted off his shoulders. He exhales sharply, staring at the ceiling in relief.

Just as Felix is about to relax, everything takes a turn for the worse. He feels his heart sink into his stomach the moment the body next to him twists and turns, and breathing could be heard.

_Oh fuck, oh fuck, oh fuck—_

Changbin chuckles as he turns toward Felix, and hovers over him. Changbin certainly has been awake this whole time, and heard every word. Now, their faces were so near each other, their noses barely touching, and lips just centimeters away.

"I like you too, Lee Felix." Changbin speaks in a soft voice, chuckling once again. "A lot, actually."

Felix instantly feels like passing out, but he knows he can't. He widens his eyes, and feels as if he's trapped in a dream.

"You also make my heart pound like crazy, and cause me sleepless nights thinking about you," Changbin whispers. "It's kind of rude for you to be doing such things to me, you know?" Changbin teases. "You're so cute when you're flustered like this."

"Wait," Felix says, still trying to process his words. "You like me too?"

"You're so oblivious," Changbin laughs. "I really gave all the hints of me liking you, and you didn't know?"

"No...?"

"Well, I like you too, Felix." Changbin smiles, stroking his cheek lovingly.

Changbin stares into Felix's brown eyes, which are staring right back into him. Felix really takes in all of Changbin's facial features once again, in the moonlight, taking small notes of his face.

Suddenly, Changbin takes a small breath as he tilts his head slightly, and parts his lips. He closes his eyes as he slowly inches slower towards Felix. The younger takes the hint as his cheeks flush red once more, and parts his own lips as he squeezes his eyes shut.

Changbin closes the gap between the two as he strings their lips together. Their lips latch onto one another, moving alongside each other as the two kiss passionately. Felix runs a hand into Changbin's hair, pulling him closer to kiss him deeper. Changbin rests one of his hands on Felix's waist, gnawing at Felix's lips slowly and softly.

Felix feels as if he can melt into the kiss. Changbin's lips are so soft, and he doesn't want it to stop. He feels so nice, so gentle, and Felix just wants to he trapped in the moment.

Changbin thinks that Felix's lips are so sweet, equally as sweet as he is. He's been waiting for this moment for the longest time, and now that he finally has it, he doesn't want it to end.

Unfortunately, Changbin is the first one to move away to allow both boys to breathe. They open their eyes, and stare at each other once more.

"No," Felix gasps, pulling Changbin in closer again. "One more."

Changbin can't ever refuse Felix, especially when he's cutely asking for a kiss like that. He smiles as he connects their lips again, kissing him passionately and lovingly, but for a shorter time. When they move away, Changbin quietly lays back down.

"Well, um, that was nice." Changbin mutters.

The tension in the air is a bit awkward. Both boys felt embarrassed, after all, they were both shy.

"So, um, are we dating now?" Felix asks shyly, rather awkwardly.

Changbin laughs, "Well, I mean, sure, if you want to."

"But do _you_ want to date me?" Felix questions, moving closer to Changbin. He's careful to not injure his shoulder, as he lays his head on Changbin's pillow. Felix looks at him, having their bodies much closer than before.

"Yes, of course, I do." Changbin smiles, ruffling Felix's hair.

"Okay, then we're dating now."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yay, they finally got together!!! :D so, i'm not saying this fic is ending like very soon, but... soon. and i really don't wanna end it, i really enjoyed writing & interacting with you guys on this one...
> 
> so that's why i decided i'll be making ANOTHER stray kids fic after this with another action/thriller concept? but my issue is, i don't know which ship i should use!
> 
> so please let me know if you would like to read woochan (woojin & chan) or changlix (changbin & felix)


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